Fairy Note Madness
by Product Of A Sick Society
Summary: Crackish storyline, serious themes - Fairytale style. Light, a reluctant tower 'princess' since the age of sixteen when the Magic Mirror announced his fate, decides to take drastic measures that may lead to more than what he bargained for. LxLight
1. Rapunzel

Author's Note: Crackfic, LxLight

Alright, you want to know where this piece of random crack came from? I was looking through some old exercises I did for my creative writing class in grade twelve and came across one where we had to basically take a classic fairytale and alter it in some way (mix several together, put one in modern times, etc…). After re-reading the beginning of mine, I actually thought that it would be a lot of fun to throw the Death Note characters in here since it seemed to suit them in a freaky sort of way. It's just for kicks, so there'll be times when I don't take the time to make the chapters perfect and lovely, but my overall view is that just because it's a crackfic, doesn't mean there's no reason for it to be well written and have themes and… such.

The characters will obviously be a little OOC simply because it's such a different environment compared with the original story, but I will attempt to keep them as close as possible. Btw, don't let the quirky beginning scare you off. It will all make perfect nonsense within the next scene.

… You know, I really don't know where the hell these ideas come from. It will be best for all of us if you do not question the random modern stuff I include in here.

Oh, and I do not own Death Note or any of the characters or soundtracks or anything. xP

**Rapunzel? Hah, I Don't **_**Think**_** So!**

Once upon a time, in a land far removed from here, there stood a great tower in the midst of a vast and cursed forest. It rested in the middle of a quiet meadow, as tall as any tree, and with no notable features except a singular arched window near the top. Its thickly thatched roof rose up in a shallow cone shape over the perfectly circular tower walls, the grey stone bricks tinged green and brown with age. Through the window a beautiful young woman could be seen, sitting on a plain wooden stool, meticulously braiding her long golden hair. She was slender and petite, barely reaching five-foot-three. Her features were small and refined with large chestnut eyes beneath copper brown bangs and slender eyebrows. Her dress was white satin and form fitting with a thin gold belt around the waist and long shear sleeves.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair!" She finished off the last of the braid and leaned forward to peer dubiously outside. Sure enough, there stood yet another blond princeling, staring up at her like an expectant weasel. She could not see his features from her three-story vantage point, but she could almost imagine his idiotic smile as he said, "so that I might climb the golden stair!" She rolled her eyes, gathered up an armful of tightly braided hair and tossed it out the window, smiling as she heard a thump and a muffled squawk from below.

"You hapless, inbred idiot…" 'Rapunzel' murmured under her breath. She wrapped a portion of the braid around one slender hand and braced herself; she'd had the unfortunate experience in the past to learn that her neck would not support the weight of a full grown man and had no intention of repeating the mistake. Despite her precautions, she skidded and very nearly went out the window as her hair hauled her delicate frame forward.

"Fan_tastic,_" she snapped, grunting with the effort to avoid an ungraceful plummet out the window, "he's _fat._" She braced her foot at the side of the opening and leaned back, using what little weight she had to her advantage.

Her arms trembled with strain as the seconds ticked by; her back ached from the continuous pull. She was certain that her arms would surely be pulled out of their sockets before her would-be-rescuer got to the top. Just as she was convinced that she would have to drop him, the prince's fingertips appeared at the window ledge. He levered himself up and tumbled through the window to lie panting and wheezing on the floor like a red-faced fish. Rapunzel quickly dropped the braid she had been holding, straightening the wrinkles in her white dress and fanning her exertion-reddened face while the armor clad young man recovered on the floor.

He finally struggled to a standing position. 'Rapunzel' quickly painted her most gracious smile to bestow on him, though what she really wanted was to run screaming from the room. The smile wilted somewhat as the red-faced suitor grabbed her hand, got down on his knees and began a ridiculously long speech about all her virtues and how he would rescue her from the evil witch of… whatever this forest was called.

The princess kept her sickly sweet smile plastered to her face with a great effort, but nearly gagged when he started proclaiming his undying love like a good Prince should.

"Oh dear!" She exclaimed suddenly in a very flowery, princess-ish tone and started to shoo the boy toward the window. "I do believe I hear the witches return! You must flee!" He straightened.

"Hah!" It was an obvious attempt at heroic bravo. "I fear not thou vile witch!" 'Rapunzel' felt her face freeze somewhere between exasperation, disgust and the fake smile she had worn so valiantly until that point. Apparently he did not know his 'thou's, thee's and thy's' yet either.

"Sir Knight," the Prince went suddenly silent at her quietly serious tone, "You must leave, now." Her tone dripped with honey.

"I, uh – yes, of course." He stammered, backing toward the window. "But I shall return!" He exclaimed. His coveted prize simply smiled in response as he climbed out the window, apparently forgetting that the 'rope' he had used before was no longer there. A startled shriek and a metallic crash heralded his swift descent to the ground below. The Princess leaned forward slightly to see the fish-faced prince picking himself up slowly at the base of the tower before retreating into the forest. Hopefully that would be the last of him.

"Light-chan!" Light (professionally known as 'Rapunzel') whipped his head in the direction of the livid voice, but remained unwilling to reveal his discomfort. "What have I told you about using that tone?!" Light slowly turned his attention back to the scenery outside. It was always the same. Ever since his sixteenth birthday when that sadistic Mirror of Destiny proclaimed his fate was to become a Princess. He sighed. What the hell did magic mirrors know anyway? He was a _man_ for goodness sake. Apparently that didn't matter to that twisted little, narcissim inducing contraption. He was actually amazed at how many of the Princes that showed up didn't realize he was male. Or maybe they did. But that was a whole other level of creepy that he didn't want to touch at the moment.

"Mother," Light interrupted her gently, knowing that she would rant for hours if not stopped. "We already know that I am not cut out for this. I doubt more lecturing is going to fix it." Silence. Light slowly turned his head to look at the absolutely horrified look on his mother's face from his position at the window. She sniffed. Oh hell.

"Why, Light?" She asked. Light tried to ignore the sudden guilty feeling in his gut. "Why can't you at least try? The mirror is never wrong, you know." Light sighed. He desperately wanted to say, 'There is a first time for everything, you know,' but that would just make things worse.

"I'm sorry," he replied instead, refraining from pointing out that he was more suited to becoming a sage or even a bard instead of a Tower Princess. It would just upset her more.

"Well," she gave one last sniff for good measure, "I did not much care for that young man anyway." This was her attempt to 'console' him for his shortcomings. "He did not cut a very dashing figure, as you well know." Light nodded absently in agreement as a cool breeze ruffled his bangs. "I'll ask Takada to put his eyes out, or curse him or something…"

"Mother," Light began with carefully controlled patience, "you know there is no need for that. Just get her to throw a few explosions around and he'll run off." Lady Angeline looked disappointed. Why hire a witch if she wasn't going to melt people's faces? His mother sighed and drifted from the room, indicating that he should follow. Light gathered up the armful of braided hair and trailed absently behind her. He did not trouble to ask where they were going.

The spiral staircase was silent as mother and son made their way to the bottom, the only sound the hollow clicking of shoes. Light reflected absently that two years ago he would have found the idea of mastering the art of walking in six-inch-heals completely mortifying, but wearing feminine clothing had become rather routine by that point. They soon stood before the door to the actual living area and went in.

The room was small, but elegantly furnished to his mother's tastes, which meant a lot of over-spending. The only thing he paid much attention to was the shiny antique mirror hanging on the wall opposite the doorway. It showed the profile of a pale man in his late twenties with longish black hair and dark, almost red, eyes from the shoulders up. His expression was somber as the two of them entered, though Light could not help but feel a chill as the apparition stared at him.

"Mikami-san," Light greeted stiffly. Sometimes he thought the creepy Mirror had proclaimed him a Tower Princess just so the pervert could see him in women's clothing. He did not like feeling as though he was being eye-raped every time he was in the same room with the fortune reader. A knowing smile crossed the creep's face as he sat serenely within his gold frame.

"Good morning, Light-san." Mikami greeted amiably. Lady Angeline cleared her throat delicately. The mirror turned his attention grudgingly toward Light's mother. "Yes?"

"I know it to be impossible," she began, "but my son insists that you must have made a mistake." Mikami drew himself up, looking highly offended.

"I have been in this world for nearly three-thousand-years, Angeline-sama." He stated huffily. "And not _once_ in those three millennia have I misread a person's destiny." He was far too dignified to cross his arms in a sulk, but it was pretty damn close as far as Light was concerned. Light ignored the 'I-told-you-so' look his mother gave him and sighed in resignation. There really was nothing he could do about it… but it was just so damn _boring_ all the time. _Anything_ had to be better than being stuck in a tower for years and years waiting for some blond bimbo guy to show up that his parents approved of.

"I thought so," his mother concluded smugly. Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The magic mirror looked mortally offended that Light doubted his brilliance.

"I am _perfectly_ serious, Light-san." Mikami informed him. "It says clearly that Light-san is to be a Princess and is destined to be with a knight of questionable origins… or… something like that." Angeline clapped her hands gleefully.

"See?" She smiled triumphantly at him. "That explains it!" Light looked at her blandly.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense, Mother." He commented diligently, wondering if she would pick up on the sarcasm. Her elation turned into a sudden glare.

"It cannot be helped, Angeline," Mikami had his own impute. "Princesses are not well known for perception." Light sighed again; any other day he would have been annoyed by the obvious jab at his intelligence, but he just didn't have the motivation at that point.

"It means," his mother began after giving Mikami a scowl for addressing her so informally. "That all of the suitors that have shown up thus far have been Princes, Light-chan."

"Ah." Light shrugged indifferently. So the wrong people have been showing up, that didn't change his predicament. He considered his options for several seconds before deciding on the more prudent of the two. "I'll be in my room." He said and went back out the door they had entered.

Light slowly made his way back up the dark staircase to his room, hoping beyond hope that no more weirdos would be shouting at his window that day. His back still hurt from playing tug-a-war with his own hair earlier in the day and he would be sorely tempted to push someone out the window. Light pushed open the cedar wood door to his tower bedroom and closed it behind him. He scanned the depressingly dull surroundings and slunk to his bed. He didn't even have a book to pass the time anymore. That witch had somehow confiscated the one he had managed to sneak from the library. He had even gone to the trouble of using a hidden compartment in his nightstand… Light threw himself down on the mattress, resting his hands beneath his head as he stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

It was always the same. Wake up, eat, lurk, be bored, lurk some more, eat, go to bed. He ignored the lengthening shadows as the day slowly descended toward dusk. The light faded to a golden red, bathing the room in cinnamon and copper. Light saw a flicker of shadow out of the corner of his eye accompanied by a musky perfume that he could never mistake.

"Hey Takada," He greeted numbly, not bothering to turn to look at her. The hired witch morphed out of a dark corner of his room and smiled lightly at him. Light continued to stare expressionlessly at the ceiling.

"Rough day?" She asked sympathetically.

"No." He said. There was never anything interesting, not even mildly stressful. He sighed. "Look, I know you're supposed to keep an eye on me, but could we please not have this conversation?" He asked the question out of courtesy; he had no intention of making small talk anyway. Light caught the faintest glimmer of concern in her eyes before she simply nodded and faded from view.

Light sighed again and regarded the sunset brightened window through lowered lashes. There had to be something more to life than what he was living. If only he had been born somewhere else, or if he could just run away or… or… Light felt his thoughts tumble to a complete stop. His gaze flickered to the window again. Was there really anything stopping him? . . . He wasn't really a prisoner; with enough motivation, he could leave anytime he wanted, right? Of course, the only reason he _wasn't_ a literal prisoner was because his parents found the thought of him leaving to be completely preposterous. And it was. It was insane, callous and utterly reckless… He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position and eyed the now twilight shrouded exit. Now that he thought about it, stupid and rash were the most appealing options available to him. The Princess shivered as a cool breeze whipped through the window. No. It was foolhardy to rush blindly ahead with something before thinking it through… There were preparations to be made… and… He gave up with reason when he discovered his body moving of its own accord to pack anything he might need.

A change of clothes, bandages, blankets, rope… he really didn't know what he might need rope for, but there was probably some unknown use that he would find later. He did not trouble to wonder how all of this stuff had managed to migrate its way into his room over the years. He finished zipping up the bag he had been packing and regarded the long braid of hair for a few seconds before realizing that he would have to lose it to make his plan possible. Light grabbed a pair of scissors and headed for the mirror on his nightstand.

Minutes later and he was ready to leave. Light peered out the dark window, ignoring the way his shorter hair danced in the faint wind. He smirked, unable to believe he was actually doing this. Madness at its finest. He grabbed onto the severed braid, which had been tied around a leg of his desk, and hoisted himself out the window.

"So you've finally had enough?" It was not a question. Light froze his throat on a startled squawk and turned to stare at the black-haired woman that had once again invaded his room. Damn that Takata. Was she psychic or something? He was crouched mid-step on the windowsill, inches away from freedom, and then that witch had to show up. They stared at each other silently, Light annoyed and Takata taking in the fact that he was wearing pants and a shirt instead of the dresses he'd been forced into for the past two years. She shook her head with a sigh. "You sure you have everything?" She asked. Light blinked in surprise and nodded. Takata approached quickly and pressed something round and metallic into his palm.

"What…?" Light looked at it in confusion.

"It will help," She said simply and turned to leave, "just show it to any of my coworkers and you'll receive anything you need." Light stared after her even after she disappeared from the room. He shrugged and stashed it in his pocket anyway before grabbing onto his makeshift rope and climbing out the window.


	2. Encounter

**Encounter**

The wind shrieked eerily through the treetops, rain and sleet pelting the ground below. Branches waved in frantic sways, the bombarding gusts forcing the usually regal vegetation into demented gyrations in the violent windstorm. Light Yagami cursed as a large, wet leaf smacked him clean in the forehead, sticking there like a leech. This was not what he bargained for when he left. It was the middle of summer! He was convinced – in his delusional misery – that a spiteful Takata was behind the abnormal weather.

He slunk over to a giant beige toadstool, ignoring the annoying squelch of his boots as he walked. It was a relief to finally get under some shelter. The over-sized mushroom did nothing for the wind, but at least he was protected from the rain.

While this wasn't exactly what he had bargained for, he had to admit that it was better than being bored. Light shook the water from his hair, gritting his chattering teeth in exasperation. He walked over, slumped against the spongy stalk and contemplated his next move. It had been a fairly rushed decision, and he had no doubt that there would be search parties out within a day or two. That didn't leave a lot of options; he didn't come this far just to be dragged back and then _literally_ imprisoned—

A distant howl suddenly split the air. Light tensed. It wasn't a full moon, was it? He looked around quickly as the baying soon came accompanied with yelps and snarls. He took a deep breath. No need to panic, there was little chance of them actually appearing… He choked back a squeak as a black and white blur sped past him. He turned to look at it, but it had shot up a tree before he could properly focus. What the...? Twigs and bushes snapped violently behind him. Light spun just in time to see hoards of… things charging out of the underbrush. His mind only registered 'teeth' and 'claws' before he turned and bolted for the nearest tree.

Oh hell – "There is _no way_ my luck is this bad!" Light unconsciously shouted aloud as he smacked into the tree and clawed his way up the scraggly evergreen. He was over halfway up before it finally clicked that the creatures could not follow. He paused suddenly, clinging possessively to a thick branch as his feet dangled hazardously in midair. He slowly tilted his head downward to see a pack of the freakiest hounds he had ever seen. Red eyes, shaggy white fur… they looked like demon hounds from hell. Light flailed ungracefully to get on top of the branch he was hanging from and hugged the trunk to avoid an expected trip to the ground. He closed his eyes for a second, attempting to calm himself, but returned to staring at the predators stalking his tree when it didn't work.

Light stared in bug-eyed silence as the wolf-creatures circled the base of the tree. He was wet, he was miserable, and now he was stuck up a tree with whatever those beasts had been chasing in the first place. Light froze. What _had_ they been chasing? He quickly scanned the branches and nearly fell off when he discovered someone… or thing… crouching not three feet away from him. His skin was ghostly pale, a mane of raven-black hair scruffy and windswept framing his serious visage. Wide obsidian eyes stared unblinkingly at the howling creatures below, not paying the slightest attention to the brunette next to him. Dark circles ringed his eyes as though he had not slept in the past month, made more prominent by the smooth, white marble, chiseled features on his expressionless face. He looked… _feral_. Wild. As if he had been raised by the very same creatures that had been chasing him.

He was crouched on the narrow branch as easily as though it were flat ground, pale toes curled against the bark to help with balance, his hands resting lightly on knees. A grubby white shirt hung off a slender, possibly skeletal, frame and his baggy pants were wrinkled and torn. Light noticed a long fuzzy black tail peeking out from beneath the hem of the shirt and large, furry, triangular shaped ears that seemed to naturally pair with the mass of unruly hair. He stared in fascination as the cat man brought a thumb absently to his lips to knaw on the tip, obviously considering the situation. Light felt his eyes widen as the… whatever he was, turned an intense gaze his way. Light held his breath, struck with the irrational thought that if he stayed still long enough, the creature wouldn't see him. He knew it was a stupid thought; he could see the intelligence burning in its – or his – eyes. Light felt as though he was being stared right down into his soul. Those dark eyes searching, analyzing, calculating…

"How well do you climb?" Light started at the sound of his voice. He was amazed that the man could speak at all, much less the deep, surprisingly sophisticated tone that issued from between his lips.

"The only reason I'm still up here is because I'd rather not be eaten." Light replied. In other words: any other day he would have fallen off by then. He could have sworn he saw a smirk before the neko returned his attention to the invading wolves. Light watched as he rose slightly and began to creep along the branch, the thick limb bending under his weight as he neared the end. Light tightened his grip around the tree trunk and emphatically shook his head when the older man turned to look at him as though expecting the teenager to follow. The branch twisted and bobbed slightly in the cold wind, but the feline-like man easily shift his weight and tail to compensate for any over-balancing. Light shook his head again, this time in disbelief. What could possess him to believe Light was capable of such a feat?

"What is your name?" He inquired suddenly. Light blinked dumbly at him.

"Light Yagami…" He said, not wanting his intimidation to show. That bold gaze never flickered as Light wondered what on earth this accomplished.

"Well, Light-kun must follow me now if he does not wish to be devoured by canines." Light scowled at him for using such an informal title, but soon forgot about it as the snarling below reached a new peak.

"Are you insane?" Light demanded as a violent gust threatened to tear him from his precarious perch. The only indication that the neko heard the rhetorical question was to tilt his head slightly to the side. Light gritted his teeth. There was no way he was going to trust that maniac with his life.

"Is Light-kun frightened?" Light tensed angrily at the question. Was he _frightened?_ Of course he was frightened! You'd have to be completely out of your _mind_ not to be! But… there was something about the innocently blank expression on the scruffy man's face that made him loath to admit it. Light was convinced that he was being mocked, and he did not like the feeling. Especially when he was almost entirely certain that he was imagining it. His face smoothed into cool indifference.

"Don't be ridiculous." Light scoffed, though couldn't help eying the snarling creatures below. There was definite smirk action coming from the feline that time.

"Then Light-kun will follow me." He stated and began nimbly picking his way through the branches to a second tree standing parallel to theirs. Light felt his face twist in a scowl as the dark-haired man peered back at him curiously. Light gritted his teeth and slowly convinced his arms to detach from the solid tree trunk. He began to edge cautiously forward, chanting the clichéd 'don't look down' over and over as he went. He couldn't understand how the freak could make it look so simple; he almost had a heart attack when his foot slipped. A gust of rain and sleet momentarily blinded him, but somehow, he made it to the other tree. Panting from both the exertion and anxiety, Light turned a glare on the wide-eyed cat man lurking a few feet away.

"What the hell does this accomplish?" He growled. In response, L turned and continued on to the next tree. And the next one. And the next. Light vaguely realized that the creatures were not giving chase, but was too preoccupied to consciously acknowledge it. "And why aren't they following?" He asked during a momentary lapse in climbing.

"Wyverns have poor eyesight." Light rolled his eyes at the man's back, glad that the creep was facing away from him during the brief slip of manners. He was allowed a whole thirty seconds to catch his breath before the older man continued to lead the way through the unconventional pathway.

"Who are you anyway?" Light finally asked when L determined that they had put sufficient distance between themselves and his pursuers and led the way to the ground. Wide, black eyes turned to regard him thoughtfully. Light crossed his arms impatiently as the cat man ran the tip of his thumb over his lower lip as he considered.

"You may call me Ryuuzaki." L informed him.

"Alright," Light briefly debated what title would fit more. 'Sempai' might have worked, but technically the people that title would apply to for him were the air-headed princesses that he so hated. "Ryuuzaki-san," best to just go with something simple. "Why—"

"Just Ryuuzaki," L interrupted him blandly, and noted the irritated glint in the younger man's gaze. "Titles are a waste of breath." _And sound strange with a pseudonym._ He silently included.

"—Were those things chasing you?" Light finished his inquiry without missing a beat. He watched as Ryuuzaki stuck his hands in the pockets of his oversized jeans and allowed his eyes to drift upward as he organized his thoughts.

_Or comes up with a believable lie…_ Was Light's pessimistic thought of the day. Light straightened slightly as those black orbs slowly came to rest on him once again. The teenager stared fixatedly at the curious individual as he waited for an answer. I mean, lizard-wolf creatures don't go out of their way to hunt down people everyday, right? Pale lips parted minusculely as the furry ears on the top of his head flicked forward in an oblivious manner.

"They must have been hungry."

Light stared. L's tail waved lazily behind him as the younger man tried to process the simplicity of the answer. The only indication that the brunette was having a difficult time acknowledging the announcement was the slight twitch of his upper lip.

"I see." Light murmured, deciding to let it drop for the time being. Another violent gust of wind whipped his hair to obscure his vision as he turned to leave. There was no use in continuing the pointless conversation.

L watched silently as the teenager began to walk away. He was a little curious as to why there was a wilderness incompetent young man wandering around in the woods, but not enough to trouble questioning him about it. His calculating eyes took in the nearly invisible limp as the young man continued on his way: probably caused by that slip while they'd been climbing. L sighed and began to casually follow the brunette.

--

Light walked for a good five minutes until he was certain that the cat man was out of sight, silently cursing the infuriating feline the whole time. He let out a hiss and hobbled over to a convenient log under a thickly leaved tree. Finally giving in to the sharp stab of pain in his right ankle, he slumped down and brushed at the slick bangs sticking to his forehead from the rain. Light ignored the goose bumps rising under his long-sleeved shirt as the wind went right through his soaked clothes, silently berating himself for dropping the bag that had contained all his food and blankets. He still had the first aid kit, but that didn't do him any immediate good.

Light frown out into the downpour. He had to figure out the next step or he would no doubt be caught and dragged back kicking and screaming – figuratively speaking, of course: Light was far to dignified for a tantrum. He rested his chin in his palms and his elbows on his knees as he considered things. Wandering around uselessly was getting him nowhere, and if he continued without a purpose, it would become just as pointless as staying locked up in that tower… Maybe he could take Takata at her word and try tracking down one of her 'associates.' There were possibilities there that he had not considered. Maybe…

"You did not mention you were injured."

Light yelped and threw himself away from the owlish eyes that suddenly appeared before him. He squawked again as his head connected with the tree behind him with a sickening crack. He looked up with round eyes, unable to find a fitting reaction.

"Wh—? Wha…?" Light panted heavily in shock. He shook his head to try to rid his vision of the stars dancing before his eyes, but groaned when it only added nausea into the mix. There, dangling upside-down from the tree above him was his reluctant rescuer—now promoted to stalker in Light's eyes. When the ringing in his ears finally subsided, Light glared murderously at the individual staring inquisitively at him from his position in the tree. "What the hell are you doing here?" Light snarled. "Don't you dare start following me!" The black-haired man blinked slowly in response as though giving careful thought to the irrational outburst. Light simply continued to glare at him. What a freak. He looked like one really demented bat hanging there as though it were the most perfectly natural thing in the world. His ears twitched a few times as the wind ruffled his hair.

"Light-kun is mistaken." The emotionless creature stated. "I am not following you, you merely happened to be walking in front of me." Light stared. That… was the best reason he could come up with? He gritted his teeth. No. The condescending bastard was just informing him that he was not worthy of a valid excuse. He could count the amount of minutes they had been together on one hand and he already hated him beyond… well, _anything._ He couldn't remember the last time he had been outright annoyed, much less completely pissed off. There was just something about him that made Light twitch.

Light slowly picked himself up from the ground and turned his expression into pleasant neutrality. The creep seemed to like getting a rise out of him – which could have just been his own paranoia. Well, he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction anymore.

"Was there something you needed?" Light inquired politely as the agile man looped a leg around a higher branch and transferred his grip until he hung from the elevated vantage point. Light found it odd that someone like Ryuuzaki would be concerned with being able to meet a person's gaze easily. Though he supposed he couldn't really say for certain considering how much he really knew about the guy: nothing.

"Not particularly." The smooth baritone voice never ceased to catch the teenager off guard. Light waited for some form of elaboration, but the older man seemed content to just stare at him. It was starting to remind him of Mikami, only without the _'I'm going to rape you'_ edge that the mystic exhibited. Light felt a flash of trepidation as the black depths of those chilling eyes solidified as though he had established something. Ryuuzaki allowed his feet to detach from the branch and swung down to land lightly on the pine needles, dead leaves and moss. He straightened up into his customary slouch before eying the uncertain youth before him.

"What is it then?" Light asked, accidentally letting some of his exasperation slip. L shrugged and looked off to the side and began to walk off. Light scowled and stomped after him—before getting a painful reminder that his ankle was still injured, in which case he proceeded to hop and limp in a very dignified manner after the enigmatic man. He wasn't through with him and he wasn't to be brushed off lightly.

Author's Note: L is a Neko-san! Yeah, I went there. 8D Btw, don't let the 'L' and "Ryuuzaki' switching get to you. If you notice, 'L' is used when he's saying something or thinking something, but it switches to 'Ryuuzaki' when Light is observing something about him or thinking of him since that's what Light knows him as. There will also just be times when I decide one of the names sounds better in a sentence than the other, so yeah… And yes, I realize that this will seem like it's dragging if you're used to fanfics. I tend to write everything as though it's in novel format, so I like to extend things a little bit and include descriptions and stuff even if we already know all the characters.


	3. Surrounded

**Surrounded**

Light blinked dumbly at the building before him. There were many things wrong with this picture. First and foremost, it was a _building_. Something man-made, distinctly well built, orderly and meant as living quarters. Second, even if it wasn't a bat infested cave or swamp log, the most he would have expected was a shack as disorderly and queer as the man himself. The neat, two-story wood house Light found himself standing before was certainly the very _last_ sort of dwelling he would associate with the untamed Ryuuzaki.

Light choked down a curse as the cat man ambled his way up the slight incline toward his house. That's fairly close to how the entire journey had gone. Ryuuzaki would walk at a pace just out of arms reach with the occasional non-comment to goad the teenager on. It was infinitely infuriating to try to hop fast enough to deliver a well deserved smack upside the head just to have the feline take one perfectly measured step to carry him centimeters out of reach at the last instant, only to resume his previous stroll as though nothing occurred. It was utterly maddening, but Light followed anyway.

"You could've just told me we were going to your place." Light mumbled as L pushed open the door to his… house. It actually looked more like a renovated inn. There was even a stable, though he doubted there were horses residing there.

L nodded absently in agreement and closed the door when the brunette walked in. He watched as the teenager began to shiver uncontrollably now that they were out of the storm. Light stared around the place as though expecting something horrible to be lurking in the corner – not including Ryuuzaki. There was very little furniture. A square dining table sat in the middle of the lobby with a couple of wooden chairs arrayed around it, a fire place dominating the left wall. There was a narrow stairway along the right wall that led to the second floor and a door at the back of the room that probably led to the kitchen.

Light resisted the urge to give voice to the fact that he still thought Ryuuzaki would live in a hut. The teenager shifted uncomfortably as the prickling between his shoulder blades indicated that those black eyes were once again trained on him.

"Is there anyway that I can get cleaned up and changed?" Light asked. It had momentarily bothered him to be so imposing, but then he reminded himself that everything he had observed of Ryuuzaki suggested that the cat man would not know what should be considered invasive and rude. He glanced to the side and behind him when no answer was forthcoming. No one was there. Light felt his eyes widen as he went through a complete circle to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"This way." Light's gaze snapped up to the stairwell, where Ryuuzaki was already halfway to the top. Chocolate eyes narrowed in irritation before the runaway princess decided to follow. It was unnerving how stealthy the unkempt man could be. Light slowly mounted the steps, being careful not to put too much weight on his sore ankle. He managed to catch up to the leisurely feline near the top and gripped the banister as he tried to catch his breath. Why was everything so difficult while limping? He glared at the scruffy man before blinking in surprise. The sleeve of his shirt was torn at the left bicep, stained a diluted red. Light found himself reaching forward unconsciously as a flash of concern and curiosity came to the forefront of his thoughts. He recoiled as Ryuuzaki side stepped him and turned to stare dispassionately at the suddenly flustered princess.

Light felt his face flame in response to their eyes meeting – in anger, of course. Was the man freaking psychic? How did he _always_ know? It didn't help that he was several steps above the teenager as well. Light was not accustomed to being towered over. Embarrassed or not, Light refused to look away from what he had now labeled The Blank Stare of Doom. He briefly envisioned his mother's patronizing voice: _'One must not be too intractable.'_ His gaze sharpened into a glare at the memory of those endlessly pointless lessons. What could he say? There was just something about the man that made Light want to strangle him. Strangle him… and _enjoy_ it. Light shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, finally breaking eye contact. He had known the man for less than a day and already he could bring out the worst in Light.

L turned to finish the last two steps and led the way across the inside balcony at the top of the stairs to the hallway. Obviously he assumed the issue dealt with. Mentally grumbling at having to move again, the brunette limped along behind.

--

Light couldn't suppress the grin that was attempting to invade his face as they entered the bathing room. Everything was neatly tiled and organized, with towels sitting on a shelf along one wall and soap and everything else on a rack near the bath. What shocked Light was the fact that the bath looked more like a pool. It was floor level and looked as though it could comfortably hold seven people – with room to spare.

"It is an artificial hot spring." Ryuuzaki informed him as though it were the most natural thing in the world… on the second floor, no less. The older man just shook his head when Light's eyes seemed to beg for an explanation as to how it was accomplished (considering where technology was at that point). "Between the physics, plumbing, waterworks and engineering that went into this, it would get far too tedious to explain." L stated, putting an end to _that_ conversation before it had a chance. Light shrugged and began to undo his shirt. Slender fingers stilled as he noticed the Nekomimi watching him. Again.

Light cleared his throat, expecting him to take the hint. Nope. Ryuuzaki just continued to nibble on his thumb as he stared. An awkward silence settled around the pair as Light tried to think of a way to politely get his host to piss off.

"Do you mind?" Light asked gruffly. The digit lowered slowly from his mouth, his face looking as though a grand epiphany had occurred.

"Not at all, Light-kun," Ryuuzaki informed him graciously. "You may proceed." Light stuck his hands on his hips in exasperation.

"No, _'Light-kun'_ may _not_ proceed." Light snapped in response. "He wishes you to _leave_ the room first." L's ears flicked forward.

"Is Light-kun aware that referring to oneself in the third person is a sign of mental instability?" He inquired. Light glared.

"Is _Ryuuzaki-kun_ aware that I am tired, and hungry, and about _this_ close—" He held up his index finger and thumb with about an inch of space between them, "—to drowning him in that bath?" L's eyes remained as unresponsive as ever.

"I was not aware, thank you for informing me."

Light rolled his eyes and started to strip from his clothes, too annoyed to bother with modesty. If the pervert wanted to watch, that wasn't his problem. Light tossed his shirt to the side and started on his pants, unaware that the Neko had turned away in favor of rummaging through a cabinet for bandages and disinfectant for his arm. Light eased into the steaming water while L took the opportunity to settle into a crouch next to the pool. The teenager shot him another glare, convinced that the gargoyle-like man had been watching him the entire time. L felt no need to correct this assumption.

Light sighed in relief as he allowed himself to sink into the soothing water. It caused his ankle to ache like a bitch, but he had long since determined that it was nothing too serious and so ignored it. When he finally felt at least a little more human, Light turned his attention back to his unlikely host. Said host sat crouched at the edge of the pool, the left sleeve of his shirt rolled up to the shoulder, an unmarked, glass bottle of disinfectant sitting next to him as the strange man proceeded to stitch up his own arm. Light grimaced as he drifted closer. That could not be pleasant, and it looked so awkward considering how Ryuuzaki held the needle: pinched delicately between thumb and forefinger. Light shook his head. Maybe the man was a masochist; that was barely one step below self-mutilation as far as Light was concerned. The princess started as he realized the Neko was still staring at him. No, not paying attention to the neat little stitches he was sticking in his skin. Light felt himself go slightly green at the thought.

"Does this happen often?" Light inquired quietly when it became obvious that the cat man was using the needle expertly without bothering to track its progress with his eyes. Those eyes remained as blank as ever. Just when Light was about to give up on receiving an answer, pale lips parted in speech.

"Often enough," L murmured, still watching his 'guest.'

"Oh,"

--

The room was plain. Dimly lit with one candle, the faint light revealed a single bed with beige blankets and a side table which held the aforementioned candle. A single chair sat at the right of the doorway, so it was a great surprise when Ryuuzaki simply closed the door and left him there once showing him to the room. Light had half expected the man to insist on lurking in that very chair and watching him while he slept. He shrugged and decided not to question this unexpected result. He walked over to the bed and flopped down on his back, hands behind his head. The last thought to cross his mind before slipping into oblivion was that he probably shouldn't be so willing to put his life in the hands of someone who could be a psycho killer.

L eyed the wood door for a few moments before turning away to shuffle back down the hall. He had too much to do to waste his time babysitting a runaway princess. He made his way back into the main lobby and dropped to the floor. Not in his usual casual position when alone: he was far too paranoid with another living creature sharing the building with him, and so reverted to his knees-to-chest crouch in order to concentrate better.

The Nekomimi gripped a report between two fingers and began to read, occasionally shifting his eyes to a map spread on the floor before him. When finished with that, he discarded the first and picked up a different one, then another, and another. He went meticulously through each one before setting the stack of parchment aside and frowning fully at the map. L clasped his hands on his knees and stared. They were getting bolder now, that much was obvious. He wouldn't be able to keep bluffing them forever; when the time finally came… L bit at his thumb. No. He wasn't going to let that happen. End of story. Or would he…? Black ears twitched slightly at the thought; maybe he could force them into action prematurely. Something they wouldn't be able to resist… A slow smirk twisted his otherwise expressionless face.

"Leon-sama!" L's head came up attentively as the female voice struck his ears with an urgency that would not be ignored. A grey blur whizzed up from an unknown source and stilled right before the thoughtful Neko. L watched calmly as the mouse stopped to catch her breath.

"Naomi-san," L chided, "what have I told you about honorifics?" The grayish-brown mouse shook her head impatiently, obviously not interested in conversation.

"Leon," She said between gasps, "They're… _here_, right _now!_" L paused for a grand total of five seconds to allow his mind a chance to digest the information and think of a plan; any longer was impossible given the situation. He was up in an instant and down the hall. The Neko could hear Naomi Misora's tiny feet skittering on the wood floor behind him, ignoring her insistent questions as to what he was doing. He threw the door to Light's room open and grabbed the brunette without a second thought, not about to let innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire.

"Where are they?" L asked in a bored tone, as though discussing the weather would be more interesting and relevant. He paused as the mouse gave him her reply: everywhere!

This might complicate things.

--

Light sat bolt upright in shock as his door slammed open. Next he knew he was being roughly dragged down the hall by his upper arm. Still drowsy from his half-sleep, he couldn't quite follow the conversation going on between Ryuuzaki and… something he assumed was invisible since he couldn't immediately locate the person attached to the voice.

"Why does she keep calling you 'Leon,' Ryuuzaki…?" Light grouched tiredly, struggling to find something to focus on to reorient himself.

"Irrelevant information, Light-kun." Ryuuzaki informed him.

"Who the hell are _'they'_?" Light tried again, now relatively back to normal and struggling to pull his arm out of the other man's vice-like grip.

"I'll explain later." Light had to be content with that as L booked it down the stairwell. The teenager had no doubt that, had he been alone, the Neko would have simply vaulted the railing at the top and jumped to the first floor. Light winced as his ankle sent shooting pains up his leg.

"Hurry…" came the insistent urging from the unknown female voice. "Come _on!_" Light found himself picking up the pace as that voice continued to harass them. He had no idea what was going on, but it couldn't be good and he had no mind to stick around to find out first hand.

Light recoiled as Ryuuzaki wrenched him around and headed for the door that Light had originally thought led to the kitchen. A loud rumble and crash shook the house just as L got them through the doorway, almost causing the pair to lose their footing. Light lost his balance completely and was stuck being forcibly held up by the Nekomimi's bruising grip. The princess barely got a glimpse of the room before L grabbed a fire lamp off the side of the wall and smashed it on the lone desk in the room scattered with various papers. The fire quickly engulfed the desk due to the oil in the lamp and began to slowly spread to the floor and the rest of the area.

"What are you d—?" Light grimaced as Ryuuzaki quickly made his way to the fireplace near at hand and kicked in a panel of wall which turned out to be a disguised escape route. By then Light could hear a familiar snarling and howling from upstairs. His face noticeably paled as realization dawned. He did not question the man further as the feline pushed him through the opening and sealed the portal behind them.

The three sat panting in the dark of the constricted space. L allowed twenty seconds for the trio to catch their breaths before grabbing onto Light again and guiding him down the pitch black passageway. He and Naomi could see perfectly fine in the dark, but he doubted the human would be able to see his own hand in front of his face. His suspicions were confirmed when Light repeatedly stumbled over nothing as they went.

The group slowly began to relax when no sounds of pursuit were evident, though L still kept his ears strained. Just because they couldn't hear anything, didn't mean they were not being followed. The tunnel began to slowly narrow and become more cramped as they neared the end: to the point wear they had to crawl single-file in order to continue.

Light cringed inwardly as a spider web hitched itself in his hair as they went. He didn't even want to _think_ about all the bugs that could be skittering up his pant legs as he crawled through the narrow burrow… or the fact that pervert-san was getting an eyeful behind him as he followed an invisible person in the pitch dark to some unknown destination. Nope. He wouldn't be thinking about _any_ of that for a while.

He paused as Ryuuzaki tugged on his ankle to get his attention. Light's heart was still pounding as he craned his head back in an attempt to see the neko; he was having a very hard time keeping himself from panicking in the tight space when he couldn't see anything. A large pair of eyes gleamed in the dark: night vision, most probably.

"What?" Light hissed quietly when the Neko said nothing. The luminescent orbs blinked.

"Remain still." Light gritted his teeth, but did as he was told. He didn't like the thought of having the feral thing pounce on him and physically enforce his command in the enclosed space. They crouched in relative silence, the minutes ticking by. Light sighed impatiently and shifted to ease the ache in one leg. It felt like forever before a skittering up ahead heralded that the wait was over. Light squeaked and jumped back when he felt a spray of dirt in his face, unable to see that it was just Naomi coming to a stop before him.

"It's not going to be easy," she informed the unlikely pair, "there is only one person immediately within the area of the exit, but he could easily alert others." She explained breathlessly. L nodded in acceptance, while Light continued to look bewildered.

"Light-kun," Ryuuzaki murmured to get the teen's attention, "we're going to switch positions now." Light nodded and paused. How were they supposed to manage _that?_ "Lay on your stomach." The princess sighed and did as asked; he was already covered in dirt and this was not the time to pick fights. Light tensed as he felt the slight brush of limbs against the fabric at his sides as Ryuuzaki gingerly picked his way over the prone teenager. Light thumped his head on the ground with a scoff. It felt so weird sensing a distinct presence above him, but unable to see it in the darkness. It was a little creepy, to be honest.

"Gah!" L's eyes bugged as Light cried out and suddenly shot up, squishing him against the ceiling. The Nekomimi froze, uncertain how to proceed with the squirmy, panicky teenager beneath him.

"What happened, Light-kun?" L demanded urgently, quietly. The princess paused at the sound of his name as though brought to his senses, causing the Neko to cringe inwardly as the slight vibrations from Light's chuckle irked L's oversensitive nerves.

"Sorry," He didn't have to see Light's expression to know he was embarrassed. "Something was on my face… I think it was a beetle… or a centipede."

"… Ah." L said, unable to think of a better acknowledgement at the time. He grimaced as the teenager shifted uncertainly. "It would be best if Light-kun were to lower himself now." Any other day he would have shoved the boy's face into the dirt without a second thought, but they had to remain quiet and that would not be accomplished if he goaded the princess. Not to mention, more physical contact would be inevitable if a fight ensued in the enclosed space and L had had more than enough to last him for the next thousand years. Which was illogical, because it was impossible for him to actually live that long… He dispelled the pointless thought in an instant when it became possible for him to move freely once again. Light heard shuffling first above and then in front of him as Ryuuzaki continued forward.

"Let's go," Light nodded and rose back to hands and knees. He was _seriously_ tempted to kick the feline every time he dropped an order as though expecting to be obeyed without question – which he was, but Light wasn't quite prepared to acknowledge that at the moment.

"It's just a little further," Naomi assured them, though L certainly did not need the reassurance. The Neko was more preoccupied with dispelling the memory of having the human pressed against him. He shuddered, glad that the dark masked it from the teenager following him. His whole front and limbs still tingled from the contact, like a million little spiders crawling under his clothing. L shook the distractions away as Naomi told him that they were at the end. He tilted his head up to eye the tiny opening, ears perking to pick up any stray sounds.

Light slumped into a sitting position as they stopped a second time, scowling miserably when he still had to bend his neck and upper back to avoid burying the top of his head in the muddy ceiling. He craned his neck forward when near inaudible whispers drifted to his ears from the two beings in front of him, and jumped when a small, warm fur ball latched onto his shoulder.

"Shh," It was Naomi. Light felt tiny forepaws brace themselves on his cheek as the fuzz-ball straightened to whisper in his ear. "Leon's going to take care of the sentries – you stay here." Light glanced forward to see those glittering eyes staring at him in the dark; which was still creepy. The princess nodded his understanding and settled down to wait, but why the hell did Naomi keep calling him Leon? Light mentally shrugged and added that to the long list of questions he intended to bombard the man with when this was over.

Light choked down a yelp as dirt suddenly sprayed him. Moonlight filtered in through the sudden gaping hole in the tunnel, nearly blinding when compared with the stifling darkness of the narrow burrow. L was nowhere to be seen. Light felt a moment of panic, almost certain that the Neko must be in the middle of being mauled by rabid creatures. He vaguely heard the sounds of a silent struggle above ground and had to suppress the urge to move forward and poke his head up to see what was going on – which he managed for an entire ten seconds.

"_Boy,_" Naomi hissed quietly, "I told you to _stay put!_" Light shrugged as he peered above ground in time to see L hit someone over the back of the head, obviously deciding that it was taking too long for the lookout to suffocate into unconsciousness. Light waited a few seconds longer, but decided it was safe to surface when Ryuuzaki simply stood in his usual hunched manner and stared at the sentry. Bored eyes turned to regard the dirt-covered brunette as Light pulled himself out of the hole.

"So," Light approached casually, attempting to brush himself off (and failing miserably), "what next?" Ryuuzaki scanned the area curiously for a few moments before seeming to pick a direction at random and going that way. Light rolled his eyes and trailed after, unaware that had he been paying attention he would have noticed two of three things. First, that the creature L had taken care of was not entirely human. Second, the silent observer lurking not three meters away in the underbrush to their left.

The third thing even L could not know.

Author's Note: Yay! Long chapter! I don't like the choppiness in the middle section, but I'm at a loss as to how to fix it, so I just left it as is. ;

Alright, you _have_ to listen to "One Week" by The Bare Naked Ladies. It suits this story like you wouldn't believe. XD It's sort of L and Light's unofficial theme that inspires me to write about them in here. 3 No, sadly I don't own that song either or any that I may list in this fic. Btw, I am highly aware that L might seem a little OOC with the fact that he's a little more… ruthless (not sure if that's the word I'm looking for, but oh well) but there is a very good reason for that. My reasoning is that he probably would be if he had to take matters into his own hands on a regular basis rather than wait for some agent to handle the situation. Besides, there's some back story and whatnot (hey, different story, different circumstances) that you don't know yet, so yeah…

Give me some feed back here: is this taking a good direction, or am I being too loose with the character translation? Oh, one very important question: Smut or no smut? It won't be happening for a while if I do (just because I like to thoroughly develop characters and their relationships before throwing in something intense like that), but I figure I'd better start asking now if I hope to get enough opinions to help decide. I will also have to take into account the story tone and everything, so I'll have to know early so it doesn't seem out of place.


	4. The Beginning of a Journey

**Beginning of a Journey**

L led the way through the cramped bushes as they left the lookout and their escape rout behind. Light cursed silently for probably the hundredth time in the past hour as a branch smacked him in the face; he was convinced that the Neko was doing it on purpose by that point. The storm had more or less abated during the few hours they had been indoors. There was still a light sprinkle of rain every couple of minutes, and the wind was stubbornly hanging around, but it was nowhere near as intolerable as before. Light had quickly gotten used to the sting in his ankle, along with the furry weight on his shoulder that seemed to be on the verge of becoming a second limb. He sighed as he turned his attention from the hunched figure slouching through the forest before him to the mouse near his ear.

"So, Naomi-san, was it?" Light inquired, keeping his voice pitched low despite the fact that they had not seen another person for hours. He noted with satisfaction that one of the Neko's ears flicked in their direction as he spoke. Light couldn't decide if it was curiosity or paranoia that motivated the act, but at least it was a reaction of some sort.

Whiskers quivered as Misora debated whether it was safe to attempt conversation. "Yes," she replied simply, neck craning as she looked the boy in the eye. "How did you come across Leon?" She suddenly asked. Light shrugged.

"Some white hounds were chasing him and they tried to eat me." Light muttered. Naomi shot L an accusing stare.

"You didn't tell me the Wyverns were still around!" She scolded him. Light grinned; she sounded like his mother, but this time it was funny because _he_ wasn't the one on the receiving end.

"That is correct." Light felt the mouse twitch on his shoulder.

"I am _aware_ of that, Leon," She hissed. "What I want to know is _why_ you…?"

"What's a 'Wyvern?'" Light interrupted. As entertaining as the budding argument was proving to be, he needed some answers—and was most likely to get them from the riled up rodent.

"Distant cousin to the dragon," the response came from the black-haired Neko, amazingly enough. Misora snorted.

"As if that explains everything." She glared at the expressionless Nekomimi. "They're a cross between dragons and hounds from the Abyss," Naomi lectured, "and are controlled through an artifact by a sorcerer. They're basically capable of tracking anything anywhere in the world—which is _why_ Leon was supposed to have taken care of them last _year!_" She not-so-subtly growled.

"There were complications." Naomi gritted her teeth on the rebuff she had been about to spit out; the man was her boss, after all… even if he was an arrogant bastard most of the time.

"When are we stopping?" Light interrupted yet again. The mouse and the Nekomimi paused and stared at the teenager simultaneously.

"We aren't." Naomi answered for the both of them. Light glanced between the two.

"Excuse me?"

"We are not resting tonight." L explained boredly. "The Wyverns will be on our trail by now; they will catch up in hours if we stop." Light's mouth tugged downward, but otherwise showed no sign of distress. He knew for a fact that he would not be able to keep up that pace, but there wasn't much of a choice if he didn't want to be eaten.

"So we have to slow them down somehow, right?" It was more of a statement than a question. "You said they could track anything, but there has to be ways to avoid them or you wouldn't have been willing to risk staying at that house…" L shrugged in response.

"There is a river in this direction. It will confuse their sense of smell if we cross it." Light nodded in understanding at Ryuuzaki's explanation and lapsed into silence. Naomi refrained from comment, but decided that she would definitely bring it up with L later. The trio plodded along wordlessly as the night deepened. The clouds slowly migrated into the distance, unveiling previously obscure stars. Light crossed his arms as the temperature continued to drop. He rubbed at his forearms as he fought his progressively leaden eyelids.

Naomi Misora found herself glancing at the exhausted teenager in concern more often as his limp slowly became more pronounced as the hours wore on. "Leon," She stage whispered to get the Neko's attention when it became apparent that Light had been reduced to concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. L glanced over at the mouse perched on the brunette's shoulder. "We're going to have to take a break." She pointed out. The cat man shook his head negatively. "Leon, the boy's exhausted." She lectured. L scowled off into the trees. That fact was not unknown to him, but he did not like the solution to this problem.

"Light-kun," Light snapped out of his stupor as the baritone voice spoke his name.

"Hm?" Light mumbled, swaying slightly now that his concentration was broken. Ryuuzaki stood with his back toward him, somewhat more stooped than usual.

"Get on." L ordered. Light rubbed his eyes tiredly, struggling to understand the enigmatic man before him.

"Huh?" He yelped as the Nekomimi impatiently hoisted the fatigued brunette onto his back. Light kicked his feet futilely as skinny arms hooked under his knees and dragged him into a piggyback position. "H-hey!"

"_Light-kun_," The teenager stilled instantly at the firm tone. He felt the Neko sigh beneath him. "This is inconvenient and uncomfortable enough without squirming to make it more difficult." L muttered, before continuing his shuffle-walk. "Settle and go to sleep."

"Yeah, easy for _you_ to say," Light snapped, refusing to accept the situation.

"Would Light-kun prefer to be left behind?" The brunette bristled at the apathetic tone. "I will not slow down." Light grudgingly held his tongue and proceeded to burn holes into the back of Ryuuzaki's skull even as his eyes blurred tiredly. Light rolled his eyes but finally decided that it was inevitable and wrapped his arms loosely around those boney shoulders.

"I can still walk…" The brunette grumbled for pride's sake, grateful when the Neko refrained from comment. L stiffened as the teen rested his head near the back of the Nekomimi's neck. His furry ears laid flat as warm air trickled down the side of his collar when Light spoke.

Light yawned and settled more comfortably against the unexpectedly warm body in front of him. "Warn me if we're about to be eaten." He mumbled, already drifting to a semi-conscious state. L shook his head and wished he could chew on his thumb as he thought—which was impossible given his current position. Obviously the brunette was accustomed to being pampered; L had long since figured that Light was in the occupation of "Princess" or something similar… this served to further his theory, though that was not the original intention.

Naomi's whisker's quivered as she debated whether to broach the current subject occupying her mind. She waited for Light's deep, rhythmic breathing to announce that he had fallen completely asleep before creeping forward to perch on L's shoulder.

"So, Leon," she began conversationally, finger combing the fur on her face meticulously as she thought. "What's with the kid?" She asked. L turned to look at her and sighed inwardly as the mouse stared stubbornly back even as the-blank-stare-of-death targeted her. She grinned. "Think it's Fate?"

"Of course not," L swiftly shot down the idea. "It was random chance, Naomi-san; do not attempt to make it otherwise." Misora tilted her head to the side, a slow smile forming on her face.

"Those seers said something, didn't they?" It was not a question. She grinned in triumph when the Neko said nothing to refute the claim.

"Those people have too much time on their hands." He stated, shifting the young man on his back to make carrying him easier.

"You just say that because they keep harassing you with prophesies that come true." Naomi accused. L decided against continuing the pointless argument and instead turned to the productive pastime of staring aimlessly at the sky as he walked. "Anyway, you're changing the subject." Naomi huffed.

"It was Naomi-san that brought up the irrelevant concepts of fate—"

"_Off_ topic," L frowned irritably, but refused to continue their conversation. Though Naomi Misora was well known for her prudence, and her competence when under duress made her an ideal agent, he found the odd bouts of romanticized idealism quite annoying. It had been an unplanned encounter, and because of that, he felt obligated to stop the teen from getting ripped to shreds since it would not have happened if the Neko had not stumbled across him in the first place. Simple as that. It's not like he had anything more interesting or important to do anyway. L's face remained stoic, though he pouted internally. Well, that was a lie. There were quite a few things he could think of that were more important than baby-sitting a runaway Princess while fleeing for his life from packs of rabid lizard-dogs… L did not feel like acknowledging them at the moment since they were considerably less interesting as well.

Light shifted with a barely audible, incoherent mumble. L sighed again; he had quickly become accustomed to the sensation of carrying something that wasn't already dead, and while he had decided that it wasn't entirely unpleasant, it was still distracting. He _should_ be taking note of sounds that seemed out of place in the surrounding gloom, but instead found himself listening to the steady thrum of the teenager's heartbeat. Silken, chestnut locks brushed against his cheek, tickling his neck every time Light's warm breath moved them. L scowled off into the distance, his gaze becoming forebodingly intent as he forced his unruly thoughts to focus. His overly-analytical mind wanted to examine the unfamiliar sensations. Dissect them and come to some form of conclusion… or maybe his brain would just be sidetracked until his skin familiarized itself with the new stimuli.

At least he wasn't cold.

--

Light winced as specks of sunlight seared through his eyelids. That wasn't too unusual; his window was in the most inconvenient place in the entire room after all. He frowned as his sleep muddled mind slowly worked its way toward consciousness. Why was he in this position? He hadn't fallen asleep hugging his pillow since he was a child.

_Gee—here's a hint, genius: Since when does your pillow _Breath? Light tensed and lifted his head warily, snorting as something fuzzy tickled his nose. He blinked dazedly in the bright morning light, his memories of the past couple of days slowly returning. The teen felt a sudden dizzying instant of vertigo and choked down a shriek as his world suddenly inverted itself. He hit the mossy ground with a thud.

L hid a smirk behind his thumb as Light's doe-like eyes cast about himself in bewildered shock before glaring at the silently amused Nekomimi.

"Did you just _drop_ me?" Light's menacing tone was mildly undermined by his rumpled hair and splayed position. Ryuuzaki's eyes widened into a caricature of innocence at the accusation.

"No." He said. Light blew a puff of hair at his bangs in frustration as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Whatever, Ryuuzaki," Light grumbled and stomped in the direction they had been going. L drifted patiently in his wake, deciding that he had tested divine princessly patience enough for the moment. "How much farther until we reach the river?"

"Mm…" The Neko put on a show of mulling the answer over before answering, "An hour."

"You're such a liar, Leon." A groggy mumble emitted from L's shoulder. Ryuuzaki's ear twitched, his expression once again neutral, though Light thought he could detect a smirk. "Fifteen minutes at the most." Naomi unraveled from the downy ball she had curled herself into while asleep and stretched out her stiff limbs. She gave her whole body a shake to wake up the rest of the way before leaping to the ground. Light squeaked as the mouse scuttled up his body to reclaim her perch on his right shoulder.

"Now that I think of it, what's with the multiple names?" Light asked. He had several theories, each one more fantastical and foolish than the last. Ryuuzaki shrugged.

"Does Light-kun know of spell casters and their like?" L asked. Light nodded dubiously in response; they were only one of the most common types of people in the world. "Does Light-kun know _how_ they cast spells?" Light frowned. He knew it had to have some relevance to the name question, but he couldn't think of anything plausible.

"No."

"By manipulating true names." Some of his confusion must have shown, because the Neko elaborated a little more. "Elements, people, creatures, spirits… they all have specific names that allow them to be controlled." Light nodded slowly in understanding. That made sense with the fact that most spell casters had to do some arcane chant to get any effects…

"You must be really paranoid to go to those lengths," the teenager mused aloud. "I mean, what on earth has you convinced that someone is plotting your downfall?" The Cheshire grin on L's face gave Light the chills.

"It is not paranoia when people are truly out to get you." Came L's sagely answer, and Light could not help but grin in appreciation of the irony of that statement, "and I prefer to call it reasonably cautious." L explained. The young brunette's expression had long since slipped back into its calm, composed state, though inwardly he was chuckling at the explanation.

"So what are you going by then?" Light glanced at the mouse on his shoulder. He had forgotten she was there. Naomi waited impatiently as the Neko brought his right thumb to his mouth in thought. He looked at the sky as though reading his answers in the clouds before answering.

"I believe 'Ryuuzaki' would be best." L mumbled around his thumb, still regarding the blue depths of the heavens. "Leon is too well known to be of much use to me now." Light kept his thoughts to himself, though he dearly wanted to question the older man. He caught sight of the river they had been… well, _Ryuuzaki_ had been trying to get to all night. As humiliating as it was, Light had slept through the whole journey.

The teenager turned his attention to the black-haired Nekomimi and wondered for the first time how the Neko could manage this pace. He looked exactly like he did when they met! Light frowned. How was that even possible after…

"How long have those Wyvern things been on your tail?" The look Ryuuzaki gave him was unreadable, but Light accurately guessed that he was debating whether it was safe to disclose any information.

"Around a week they have managed to stay this close. I thought I had lost them for a bit, but apparently I was mistaken."

… Probably a week of little – if no – sleep, running for his life and then carrying a full grown adult for the better half of the night. Light rubbed his temples as the concept started to give him a headache; it was just too unbelievable. He smiled brightly as he caught sight of Ryuuzaki watching him.

"You sure you don't need a rest?" Light asked considerately, though it was really the Neko making the decisions thus far. Ryuuzaki's thumb teased his lower lip as he considered the question.

"No, I do not," L replied, "and Light-kun most certainly does not." Light flushed in embarrassment. If nothing else, his own mind would never let him live it down. L turned his attention to the sluggishly flowing water as they reached the riverbank. The fact that his ears had flattened at the sight of it was not lost to the young brunette.

The cat man stepped ankle deep into the water and began walking upstream, indicating that the brunette should follow suit. Light paused to roll up his pants, but opted to leave his shoes since they were already soaked and the river bottom looked rocky. The teen hesitated for a second, but eventually followed, wondering what on earth this accomplished as the icy water numbed his feet.

"Our scent will not cling to our surroundings when in flowing water, and the wind will confuse what odor we leave in the air." L explained as though reading his mind. Light nodded in understanding and fixed the pleasant expression to his face. It was actually getting kind of annoying having his thoughts predicted every two seconds.

The two wandered upstream for almost an hour before the Neko seemed content with their precautions and decided to cross. The river was faster at this point, but it would be lower than waist level, making it easier overall. Light groaned mentally as the Neko turned to head across the stream. He was already freezing despite the sunny day. Keeping his complaints to himself, Light forged his way through the strong current to get to the other side. He felt a brief moment of satisfaction as he noticed the bushed up state of Ryuuzaki's tail, meaning that he was just as cold as the young man following him.

"Cold?" Naomi teased lightly. Light scowled at her, trying to ignore the itchy chafing of his wet pants as he walked.

"Where are we going anyway?" Light asked.

"I am meeting someone." L said and refused to elaborate when pressed. "Naomi-san, look around for a bit." Naomi glared at him but relinquished her perch on the brunettes shoulder and scurried out of sight. L said nothing to the teenager's questioning look. "Sayu," L called in a conversational tone, "I know you are watching." A young girl suddenly pranced out of the bushes, a glowing smile gracing her features. It turned to a mock pout.

"You always take the fun out of everything."

"I need to see Near." L said. He was not in the mood for conversation. Sayu sighed.

"Alright, alright…" Light watched in amazement as the peppy girl disappeared into a nearby tree, the roots suddenly growing into the air and intertwining to form a doorway. The princesses eyed the dark tunnel dubiously. He did not like the idea of being confined underground again.

"Are we really going underground again?" Light whined.

"No," L deadpanned, "I just wanted to look at it." 'It,' meaning the tunnel. Light scowled.

"You think you're really funny, don't you?" The brunette snapped, wanting to wipe that overly naïve expression off of the Neko's face.

"Light-kun is mistaken," Ryuuzaki countered, "I have no sense of humor." Light sniffed condescendingly and tossed his head. He straightened and strutted his way into the burrow. It was beneath him to comment on something so childish.

L shoved his hands into his pockets and trailed along behind the disgruntled teenager, smiling absently to himself as he went.

--

Author's Note: (I so did not intend this A/N to be so long… D: ) So I might be slowing down updates on this for a while. Why? **One:** I have to further develop the ideas for it instead of throwing the chapters out there as soon as I give them a quick read for typos. XD For example, I could've SO developed that bath scene in chapter three a bit more (I still might, I see no reason not to edit things even if they have been posted for a while). **Two:** my other story is being sadly neglected and I feel bad for ignoring it when a few other people like it too. **Three:** I have very limited time considering I often work six days a week (8.5 hours a day), which isn't too bad because I think/visualize/memorize sentences in my head on my break and then write them when I get home, so thus far it hasn't been getting in the way too much – it's the fact that I'll be starting the above two that could affect things. **Four:** I keep getting colds every couple of weeks because I get up at six for work, then stay up too late writing (because I am not very good at listening when my body starts complaining for sleep xP) – over all just not giving my body a chance to recover, and colds tend to mess with my thinking-ness. XD I could go on, but I don't think any of this is too relevant.

Btw, the storyline isn't much of a surprise if you read lots of fantasy novels. I don't bother with very original SLs when I'm more concerned with the characters. Plot always tends to take a backseat to character development in my stories (which so far has worked out quite nicely for me, so I see no need to change it now). lol, I'd say this chapter turned out pretty good considering I had/have the shrill voice of my little sister cutting into my brain every ten seconds because of her karaoke machine. XP

Yeah, I know Light should have made a bigger fuss over the whole piggyback thing. I got lazy and didn't want to write the argument. I'll fix it later since I intend to do a giant overhaul on the entire story when it's finished (based on suggestions and such). Right now I'm blaming his… non-stubbornness… on sleep-deprivation.


	5. Explanations

Author's Note: So… I got impatient and decided to speed up the storyline a bit. xP (was going to reveal the storyline in bits and pieces, but decided to compact most of it into a conversation) They're a little OOC in this chapter, but just in the way that I'm over-exaggerating their tendency to argue. Ah… I love screwing with Light's mind. XD

**Explanations**

Light stared around the underground burrow curiously when they finally reached the end of the 'pathway' that had opened up several hours ago. It was like being in the middle of a giant, hollowed-out tree. Candles floated inanely about the round area at varying heights and positions, casting a warm glow on the rough walls.

The teenager glowered as Ryuuzaki pushed his way past him. The room was empty.

"Well this was a waste of time." Light muttered. L ignored him.

"Near," L called, hoping that the fellow recluse would answer, "we need to talk." Several tense seconds passed in which nothing happened. L breathed a mental sigh of relief when he finally got some results.

Light squinted as the entire area began to shimmer and weave like heat waves in the middle of summer. The colours distorted and warped, slowly picking up to a pace that made the teenager ill. He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them seconds later. He did not want to miss anything. He glanced at the Neko and noted (with some peevishness) that he was completely unaffected by the colourful display.

The illusion suddenly dissolved to reveal a young albino boy crouched in the middle of the room. He was dressed entirely in white and seemed absorbed with the task of coaxing shining spheres of various size and colour through the air around him. L shuffled his way to stand before the child. Near continued to stare aimlessly into space. Light shifted uncomfortably at the entrance. The Neko dropped into a crouch before Near, effectively catching his attention. As much as L hated seers, he trusted Near enough to sort through the necessary and irrelevant information and give him only what he needed to know at the time. Coal black eyes focused on him from beneath almost curly, white hair before turning to look at the brunette in the 'doorway' for a moment.

"Don't let him out of your sight." Near said simply and went back to playing with the colourful circles of light swimming around him. L waited a few minutes longer, but slowly stood when the clairvoyant obviously had nothing more to say.

"Is that all?" L asked anyway. Small, pale hands paused before a cheerily baby blue orb at the question.

"Duck."

"What?" His entire left side exploded in pain

--

Light stared in horrified silence as Ryuuzaki seemed to suddenly fly across the room, a large, seven-foot tall creature slowly materializing before him. Bulbous milky white eyes set almost to the sides of its head leered at them from the center of a sickly grey-green face. Rows of inch-long needle teeth lined a wide, gaping maw that grinned hideously beneath two nose slits. A long neck, almost the length of Light's arm, connected to a bony torso that was disturbingly human-like in appearance. Its four arms and legs were stick-thin, abnormally long and had far too many joints for comfort. A sleek tail protruded from the base of the spine and branched into two narrower barbed tails that curled and twined about its legs.

Light could do nothing but stare in horrified fascination as it crept toward the fallen Nekomimi. He then noticed that the demon was actually crouching. Its multi-jointed limbs were folded in such a fashion that it made him think, at first, that it was standing upright. He was positive that if the demon were to stand straight, its elongated legs would carry it to almost three or four times its current height.

Six-inch long claws clicked lightly against the hard floor as its appendages bent in a double-jointed manner as it approached. In short, it was one of the most disturbing things Light had ever seen.

L coughed from his prone position on the ground, wondering vaguely what had happened. He stopped wondering when knife-like limbs descended for his face. L threw himself to the side and frowned when he heard a long tearing sound. He dodged the attack. His shirt was not so fortunate. The Neko flung an arm out and hooked it around the creature's back leg. He used the leverage to pull himself out of the path of a second attack and moved into a controlled tumble to get away from the ghoul-like being. L sprang to his feet in time to see teeth moments from chewing his face off. The skull-like face jerked to the side with a loud crack. L blinked in surprise and noted Light standing with a large branch held tightly in both hands beside him. The demon whipped its head in the teenager's direction with a snarl and was promptly smacked away again.

Light grabbed the astonished Nekomimi's sleeve and bolted for the exit after poking the demon in the eye for good measure. They whipped around a corner and out of sight of the flailing abomination.

"What the _hell_ was _that?_" Light demanded frantically, releasing Ryuuzaki's arm when the Neko started to keep pace with the sprinting teen. The brunette heard only the pounding of their feet on the packed ground and the sound of his own racing pulse in his ears.

"An imp." Ryuuzaki's voice was infuriatingly calm given the situation.

"_Imp?!_" Light demanded in breathless disbelief. "_Imps_ aren't that dangerous!" The teenager nearly tripped over an abrupt incline in the floor.

"If it were a full demon," L patiently continued, "We would be dead." Light's breath became more labored as they continued on, the ominous hisses and snarls fading behind them.

"This is insane." Light said and stumbled to a halt. He leaned against the uneven wall of the burrow and sucked in gulps of air in an attempt to catch his breath. "What the hell is going on, Ryuuzaki?"

"L, you should tell him." Chocolate eyes riveted on a pale figure that materialized in midair: Near.

"_L?_" The teenager snapped, visions of conspiracies and disasters jumping to the forefront of his mind at the sound of the infamous name. L sighed in resignation and scratched the back of his head in frustration. He _hated_ seers.

"Yes. L," The Neko informed him bluntly and continued shuffling down the pathway. "Let's go."

"Why the hell would I follow you?" Light demanded. "I've known you less than a bloody week and this is the _third_ time I've nearly been torn to pieces."

"Because," the bored answer drifted to the princess's ears as the Nekomimi sustained his trek. "While I have observed that Light-kun is often unreasonable and rash, I had thought him above complete idiocy." Light flushed angrily and stomped after the arrogant, skinny little—

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" The brunette demanded, making a grab for the already shredded shirt hanging off the Neko's narrow shoulders. He thought he was going to have an aneurism as Ryuuzaki—or L—or who-ever-the-hell-he-was-supposed-to-be easily sidestepped him.

"It means," L stated when faced with the silently fuming brunette, "that this is the only way out, and I rather doubt that Light-kun will sit and wait for the imp to come eat him in a few minutes." Light glared at the Neko, unwilling to admit aloud that he was right. He tossed his head and continued past the ebony-haired… what-ever-he-was-now.

"Whatever Ryuuzaki," L determined that this was going to become a common phrase between them. "Or _L_… I expect a full explanation on all of this later." L brought a thumb to his lips and grinned at Light's retreating back. He shuffled along, filled with quiet mirth at the brunette's expense.

"Light-kun has a very queenly air about him." The Nekomimi observed, his smirk widening as Light's back tensed.

"Excuse me?" The brunette cast him a haughty glance at the effeminate description. Which only served to encourage the Neko's growing amusement.

"I was making an observation." L unnecessarily explained. Light frowned at him in disapproval before facing forward once again, looking _quite_ queenly (even with dirty clothes).

"I'll thank you to keep your observations to yourself next time." It was more of an order. L bit his thumb lightly to keep from chuckling at the stiff tone the teenager had adopted.

"I suppose I will be keeping further observations to myself then." A purposeful comment. If the sudden twitch was anything to go by, his teasing was having the desired effect.

"What is the _matter_ with you?" Light snapped. "We've almost been maimed and eaten countless times in the past twenty-four hours and _you_ are cracking jokes about my masculinity!" Wide eyes blinked in deliberate ignorance.

"Why Light-kun, I can count only three times."

"Don't make me hurt you…"

"That is entirely Light-kun's choice, not mine."

"Shut up. Stop avoiding the question." The two men fell into silence. The dull surroundings began to get to the teen; he could not help but continue the conversation. "You're insane." The extremely relevant conversation…

"Sanity is a perspective, Light-kun." _Damn_ it! Did he have a come back for _everything?_

"I think reality disagrees with you." Light retorted. _Let's see you dodge _that. The brunette thought gleefully. He glanced over and felt a chill go through him at the deathly serious expression on L's face. It was like hot coals held to his skin as the Neko's gaze burned into him.

"If Light-kun has not noticed, this _is_ reality," L said in his usual bored tone. The Neko was past him before the teen realized that he was still angry with the older man.

_Bastard…_ Light glared at the hunched back irritably.

"I'm starting to think you just like getting a rise out of me." Light muttered. Dark eyes drifted upward as L pretended to think about it.

"I do, Light-kun." Light bristled at the careless admission. "Your face is amusing."

"We'll see how entertaining I am when my hands are wrapped around your throat…" The teen muttered under his breath, fingers tensing with the urge to hit something. He never realized he was capable such violent tendencies before.

"You are correct. That would not be very amusing…" L murmured. Light could see the challenging smirk cast his way even in the dim light. "But it would be humorous to see you try." Oh he was dead. Just as soon as Light could figure a way out of this mess, the bastard was _dead_. Road-kill kitty.

"So what's the plan now, Mr. Evil Genius?" Light asked and was gratified with an irritated stare from the arrogant cat man.

"Light-kun is foolish to believe every rumor he hears." L informed him.

"There's a difference between rumor and public opinion, _L_." Light retorted.

"Not when public opinion is based on sabotaging lies created by the enemy." The Nekomimi countered just as smoothly.

"What enemy?" The Neko went suddenly quiet after that.

"L…" The Neko dismissed the white-haired seer's opinion in an instant. The seers knew. They knew everything even clearer than he did, yet did nothing. L shook his head in reluctant acceptance. The brunette was involved now no matter what happened. The imp would remember and come after him, so the Neko decided Light at least deserved to know _why_ he was being tortured to death in the future at the very least – whether the teen believed him or not.

"You have seen the monster, yes?" L asked bluntly. "You accept that it exists?" Light nodded slowly in response. "What would you say if there were thousands—no, millions of them?" Light frowned in thought.

"Well, there are, aren't there?" He said. "That's the whole point of Hell, or the Abyss or what ever people are calling it this century." L chewed on the tip of his thumb as he considered how to broach the next part of the subject. This was where people tended to reject the idea entirely…

"And what if, unlike in books where it describes them as a big chaotic hoard, there was a governing force behind them," he mumbled "and they were capable of getting out of their realm in large numbers?" Chocolate brown eyes stared at him in obvious disbelief. L sighed. Nope. Not going to acknowledge it either. "Tell me, Light-kun, how would humans react when faced with that situation? Think of it theoretically if you cannot accept it in a literal sense." He could almost see the figurative gears turning in the young man's head as he struggled with the question.

"I… I don't know, panic?"

"But they're not panicking, Light-kun." L contradicted him. Light cursed and shot him an angry look.

"What the hell does it matter?" Light demanded. "It's impossible. If that were the case, why are we not all dead yet? I think you just like conspiracies." The Princess glared as the older man grinned in triumph.

"Exactly," Light blinked. What? Then got angry when the Neko deemed the matter settled.

"What do you mean by that?" Light asked, fighting to keep his cool in the wake of that superior attitude.

"Light-kun has effectively proved my point." L informed him brightly. Light scowled.

"How?"

"Light-kun will understand in… approximately two minutes." Light rolled his eyes in exasperation. Why did the man have to talk in obscure circles? Truth be told, it made him feel like an idiot… Despite this, the teen turned his attention to analyzing all he had said to the Nekomimi over the course of their conversation. If it could be called a conversation…

"Ryuuzaki, this is a waste of time, how can you expect—" Light paused. "Oh." He wanted to slap the smug expression from the feline's face as the black-haired man noticed his sudden epiphany. He had not stopped to even consider the possibility that L was right. Light completely rejected the idea, before trying to use the Neko as a verbal punching bag to avoid thinking about it. "That's…" Light frowned.

"Exactly." L reiterated.

"I still don't believe you." Light stubbornly declared.

"I believe Light-kun will change his mind if he is ever captured."

"And maybe pigs will be soaring like majestic eagles in the sky tomorrow morning." Light muttered sardonically, inspiring another smirk from the self-exiled Neko-san.

"I hope they have been practicing." L deadpanned. Light looked at the cat man in disbelief of the lame joke.

"That wasn't even funny."

"No. It was not." L's ears flicked in the direction of the brunette as he heard something interesting: a snort. Dark eyes turned to stare curiously at the teen as Light's face struggled to keep itself under control, but was soon chuckling outright at the wide-eyed expression on L's face. "Light-kun said it was not funny." It could have been an accusation, but was said with such a lack of expression that it was impossible.

"It's not." Light answered, still chuckling under his breath. Light bit his lip to stop the snickers, his expression pinching slightly with effort as L stared at him in confusion and annoyance. "It's just…" Light shook his head with a sigh. "Where, in my wildest imagination, would I be running for my life with _the_ former General Commander? …Or what ever it is you actually did… Which, I still don't believe you are, because no one as creepy looking as you could inspire awe and respect in millions of soldiers and civilians."

"I wore a helmet." That startled a laugh from the teenager; it was obviously sarcasm despite the lack of tone. "Light-kun would be amazed at how impressive one can look with lots of shiny, cumbersome armor." L tilted his head as the brunette laughed again. He knew that Light was probably only acting like this because of the stress of being placed in life-threatening situations constantly; the adrenaline tended to make people giddy if they were not used to it. L shrugged and turned his attention to the tunnel before them. Either way his laugh was quite pleasant when it wasn't uttered in sarcasm.

"No sense of humor, Ryuuzaki?" L turned his head to gaze boredly at the inquiring princess.

"Of course not," L replied. Light's eyes suddenly stared intently ahead as he caught sight of sunlight (more like twilight) further up the tunnel. The teen breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was not his imagination. The two unlikely companions stepped out of the confining passageway. Light froze in his tracks at the sight before him.

"Ryuuzaki… Why are we in the mountains?"


	6. Pie

Author's Note: Well, I _did_ warn you that updates would slow down TT (I just didn't think it would this much). My muse for this story is trying to flee from me, so the writing is starting to suck. I blame the BB/L multi-chaptered fic that has attacked my brain (and all the other reasons listed previously DX _and_ that I, in fact, did not get any days off last week. Meaning I was working two weeks straight and did not have the energy since I was up at 5am and not in bed until 12:30am). I'll try my best given the circumstances, but I can't make any promises since I've been operating on 4 hours of sleep a night for half of the month. Just know that I'll never abandon a fic even if it _does_ take me forever to write/update it.

Rejoice! I created a section on my profile to keep people updated on my writing progress. Isn't it fantastical?

Anyway. Hope this was worth the wait. :) EDIT: And I know there're two titles. XD I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I kept them both. 8D

EDIT2: Evil typos... dun worry, I'm slowly weeding the little sneaks out of here.

--

**Pie**

The dull whistle of a chill wind echoed hollowly off the sheer rock faces rearing up into the pale grey-blue sky. Scraggly bushes lurked on unlikely ledges and the discordant squall of night birds and insects sounded at random instances to disrupt the cold hush that had settled on the rock-strewn landscape with the approaching nightfall.

"Why are we in the mountains?" The question broke the tranquil murmur of vague natural sounds.

"We were in the Tree Paths," Near replied as if that would explain everything. Light stared at him expectantly. "It's a concept of diminishing time and space," the seer patiently elaborated, "We enter the Other Realm and warp the material world's sense of distance, allowing us to travel farther with less effort."

"Interesting…" The brunette mused. He had never heard magic explained in such plain terms before.

"Do not be foolish." Near's voice was monotone, but Light swore he was being laughed at. "There's nothing 'magical' about magic. It is purely scientific if you know the laws that govern it."

"Near, you are to refrain from reading minds without permission." L ordered the albino seer. Near shrugged noncommittally and fiddled with a lock of hair next to his ear.

"So…" Light began hesitantly when no one seemed ready to do anything. "What's the plan?" L regarded the brunette for a moment and started down the rocky hill without a word.

"We go that way." Near announced unnecessarily. Light rolled his eyes, but followed the Nekomimi anyway. The teen jogged for a second to catch up to the raven-haired man and dropped back into a walk.

"Would you mind enlightening me?" Light asked with an annoyed expression. L turned expressionless eyes on the teen.

"I should think it obvious, Light-kun." He said. Light scowled.

"Well it's not!" L smirked. He had deduced that Light was not accustomed to being out of his element. Thus, it was very entertaining to watch the brunette become flustered. Maybe that was just the Neko's sadistic side asserting itself… L stopped his silent musing as the brunette continued to pester him for answers.

"Are there inhabited areas about?" L asked the seer, ignoring Light completely because he could.

"There is a small town a couple miles from here if I am not mistaken." Near replied. L nodded in acknowledgement.

"How do you know?" Light interrupted. Near turned dull, black eyes to the brunette.

"A lucky guess." He deadpanned. There was dead silence as the three companions contemplated the irony of a _seer_ having to guess anything. Near mentally sighed as L smirked behind a thumb and Light remained entirely oblivious to the sarcasm. L's ears flicked forward as he caught the sound of hammers and indistinct human voices ahead. He assumed it was the wind carrying the sounds, because his ears were not _that_ sensitive.

Light sighed and lapsed into silence. He did not know what to make of this anymore. His entire world had flipped over—granted, it _was_ his own fault, but he still had no idea what to do about it. Sure, he may be doing his running around with an attractive cat man, but… the teen did a double take on that thought. Attractive? What? Light scrutinized the quiet Nekomimi curiously. The man was grime-streaked and shaggy as ever. There were a few additional rips in his jeans and a sleeve that had been torn completely off during their encounter with the imp. Light frowned. There was dirt smudged across one cheek that the man didn't even notice and he had horrible posture.

The teen's eyes narrowed in thought. If he ignored his own abhorrence of poor hygiene and looked at it from a purely objective point of view, he supposed the Neko was quite attractive. He had narrow, but strong, features that most would describe as 'aristocratic,' and Light could see well toned muscles where the rips in his baggy clothes revealed pale skin. Light started as he realized that Ryuuzaki was staring back—with more than a little amusement.

"What?" Light asked suspiciously.

"I was about to ask Light-kun the same thing." L's eyes were entirely too wide and _far_ too innocent for Light's comfort. "And as much as I am flattered to have an attractive young man stare at my body for ten minutes straight, I am afraid I must ask you to refrain from doing so in the future. It is fairly distracting." Light's lips thinned into a tight line, his expression once again conflicted between annoyance and embarrassment. _What_ body, damn it? He couldn't _see_ anything with those giant clothes on! Light tensed and shook his head vigorously. Not that he _wanted_ to; it's just… The brunette gritted his teeth and stared resolutely into the distance. No. He was _not_ going to think about this. The bastard was just messing with his head.

"Stop making it so easy, and maybe he will stop." Near advised the brunette, watching the exchange with interest (both the verbal and non-verbal thoughts). L shot the seer a look for reading minds again, but it was tinged with resignation. "L, you might want to change before going into the town." Near informed him abruptly. "We are trying to remain unobtrusive, correct?" The Neko stopped and nodded before drifting off somewhere out of sight. Light sighed and crossed his arms impatiently. He was not nervous. Never mind that demons were stalking them, and there was a distinct possibility of one coming to rip him apart while the Nekomimi was away. What if it decided to go after L first? The Neko was obviously the bigger threat, even if it irked the brunette terribly to admit it. He glared at Near when he caught the albino watching him.

"Yes?" His polite tone was forced. Near shrugged and looked away with an unmistakable grin. Light frowned and turned away with a huff. He was beginning to think he had been born to be mocked.

L returned soon after, wearing… the same outfit. It did not have the rips and mud, but it was identical in every other aspect of the word. The Nekomimi fought down a grin at the expression on Light's face. He looked so thoroughly scandalized that the Neko had simply put on a new set of the same outfit.

"Don't you have something more presentable to wear?" Light demanded.

"Yes." Light paused.

"Then why don't you wear it?" The teen interrogated.

"Because clothing is not a good investment for me, Light-kun." L replied with a smile. The teen gave him an expression that could only be described as: 'Huh?' "My clothes rarely survive longer than three days once I wear them." The Neko elaborated.

"Why?" L held up the bundle of clothing he had changed out of for emphasis.

"Because they are usually burned, shredded, melted, cut or stained beyond repair by that point."

"Oh…"

"I wear these because they are inexpensive and it is easy to replace them afterward."

"Right." The teen was starting to feel nauseous at the thought of these life-threatening situations becoming a daily occurrence.

"Would Light-kun kindly continue on and refrain from staring at me once again?" Light flushed and walked briskly toward the town that was supposed to be nearby, unable to see the mischief induced grin on the Neko's face.

"How much longer until we get to the town?" Light asked just as he rounded a jutting rock and came into sight of the buildings. "Never mind." L passed the teenager when Light paused and headed into the town without hesitation. It was more of a village in Light's mind, but there were lots of people – most of which were concentrating their efforts on constructing a defensive wall about the place.

L frowned when many of the humans stopped working to eye him suspiciously—some even showing signs of hostility. That was distinctly unexpected. The Neko stood a good fifteen feet away from the nearest worker and waited for any other signs. Light bumped into him with a squeak of protest – obviously not paying attention. The two groups stood in tense silence for several agonizing seconds before the Nekomimi decided to continue on: just to see what would happen.

What happened: several burly men with sledgehammers appeared. L grinned.

"I don't think they're happy to see you." Light murmured nervously as he peered over the Nekomimi's black mane. L and Near were the ones attracting the attention; no one seemed to be paying any heed to the teenager. The brunette knew he had to diffuse the situation before someone got hurt.

L smirked as the five humans threatened him. They didn't have to say anything; he could clearly read the 'get out' message on their faces. Maybe he was being childish, but he had no intention of doing so. Not when they were attempting intimidation tactics on him. He ignored Light as the brunette put his hands on the Neko's shoulders to stare over his head at the assembled people. It was a little disconcerting when the princess did not bother to step back after colliding with him. He felt the teen's hands tighten on his shoulders as though sensing the confrontational thoughts lurking beneath the Nekomimi's cool exterior.

"You have to excuse my cousin," Light gracefully interceded, easing the older man out of the way with more effort than it looked. L opened his mouth to tell Light _exactly_ what he thought about this 'cousin' business before receiving a mental 'poke' from Near.

_:Keep quiet:_ the seer mind-sent, _:He knows what he is doing.:_ L frowned. He highly doubted that, but remained silent as the brunette went off a little ways to talk with the leader. He strained his ears to try and catch what they might be saying, but all he heard was something to do with a sorcerer. L felt a strange bubbly sensation in his skull that he assumed was what one of Near's 'mental laughs' must feel like.

_:Apparently you were cursed by a spiteful ex-fiancé that turned out to be an evil sorceress. So you are now plagued with horrible looks and inhuman attributes:_ Near informed the Nekomimi gleefully. L was not impressed. Especially as he learned that the quiet seer was considerably more expressive when he did not have to verbalize conversations. _:Coincidentially, this is a common enough occurrence that they'll probably believe him—and of _course_ I'm more 'expressive,' it is impossible to mask emotions when speaking mind-to-mind.:_ L shot the seer a glare as Near tagged the word 'idiot' at the end without realizing it. Near shrugged. _:If it makes you feel better, I am an unwanted, but necessary, spellcaster that is here simply to aid you in finding the right ingredients to create a counter potion.:_ L shook his head in disbelief as the brunette smiled and waved them over. What possessed the boy to think that his story would convince the villagers to let them in?

_:He realized that they were concerned about you and I… obviously signs of superstitious humans. The rest was mostly acting skills.:_

_Need I ask again that you refrain from invading my mind?_ The Neko concentrated his thoughts to form the sentence forcefully. The seer winced but gave no other signs that it had affected him in anyway.

The two outcasts lurked sort-of-not-inconspicuously a few feet behind the brunette as the teenager chatted cordially with their 'host.' They were being led to a two story building that looked a lot like L's house, further strengthening the brunette's theory that it had been a renovated inn, and _not_ a house.

The interior was crowded with a motley of mismatched tables and benches. It was neatly organized with a barkeep counter to the left, a small fireplace to the right and stairs that presumably led to the rented rooms.

"I hope they have cake here…" Light glanced incredulously over his shoulder as the Nekomimi mused happily to himself. The teen quickly checked to see if anyone could overhear. No, the man he had been talking with was off talking with the owner of the inn.

"_Cake?_" Light hissed. "Only rich people can afford _cake_ you…" The teen straightened his posture and ironed a pleasant expression back onto his features as Randolph Diggums came back within earshot.

"… well there had best be pie." The black-haired man muttered resentfully. Now that Light had burst his proverbial bubble and pointed out that it was a rather middle class place, the likelihood of finding cake dropped by a dramatic ninety-six percent. He missed cake. And pastry. He missed food of _any_ sort at that point. The Nekomimi stumped his way despondently to a little table at a corner of the cozy dining area. He clambered awkwardly onto the wood chair closest to the wall (he refused to have his back to the room) and perched in the crouch Light remembered seeing in the tree, toes curled around the edge of the seat.

"Ryuuzaki, stop it." Light admonished when the Neko-san stared expressionlessly at the tabletop. He felt like he was babysitting a toddler as L pouted, but refused to look up from the table. "Look, I'm sure they have pie… Or muffins…" He almost laughed at the disgusted look on the Neko's face when the brunette suggested muffins as a comparable counterpart to cake. "If nothing else, dinner will be filling."

"Muffins are not filling, as Light-kun well knows." L grumbled and buried his pouty lips in his knees. Light rolled his eyes.

"We don't eat the _muffins_ for dinner—"

"Well, I do. Which is why I desire cake, but Light-kun says there is no cake." L mumbled miserably as if it were entirely the teenager's fault.

"_Cake_ is not dinner." The brunette informed him haughtily.

"Yes it is."

"No it is not."

"Yes it is."

"No, it is not."

"Yes it is." Light began to feel himself twitch.

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"Is not."

"Ye—"

"Is _not_ Damn you!" The brunette snarled quietly, careful not to let his voice get out of control even if the rest of him was. The teen was _so_ tempted to strangle the contemptuous little freak. The urge doubled as the Neko smirked triumphantly at him. Again.

"Three days and you two are already bickering like an old married couple…" Near broke in with a thoughtful expression on his face. Two sets if eyes turned flat stares his way.

"Pardon me?" The brunette looked completely mortified at the concept.

"An interesting opinion." The Neko mumbled simultaneously. Light glared at him, then back at Near. Of all the people in the world that he had to rely on, it _had_ to be the two most irritating males the world could contrive.

"Well," all three companions jolted and turned to look at their temporary guide as the almost cheerful voice interrupted their entirely mature and relevant conversation, "I'll be leaving you to Maiko-san here." The man said, patting the shoulder of a rather young woman standing next to him. She was petite and had her dark-red hair cropped short. Freckles lightly dusted her sun-tanned features and she carried herself with an assurance that L did not expect to see in someone under forty. 'Maiko' smiled in reassurance as the burly man hesitated in leaving her with the odd newcomers and turned her attention to the three travelers when he finally left.

"So," she got right down to business; L decided that he liked this Maiko-san, "what will you be needing this evening?"

"Food." The Nekomimi said without hesitation. Light rolled his eyes at the lack of tact on L's part. She only grinned in response and nodded as if this was expected.

"Alright, what would you like? There's roast pork already cooked up, and venison stew. The hunters brought in a couple of pheasants about fifteen minutes ago."

"Do you have cake?" The Nekomimi abruptly asked. Maiko blinked in surprise for a moment before shaking her head.

"Uh, no…" L's face fell comically as he had his dreams shattered a second time that night. All those present struggled to keep from laughing outright at the dejected expression on the Neko's face, though Maiko was grinning openly at his childish demeanor.

"… is there pie?" obviously not happy with the alternative.

"Yes."

"What kind of pie?"

"There are several meat pies, raspberry, strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry, apple, apple-strawberry,"

"Raspberry and apple-strawberry." L interrupted her list. She paused, eyebrows pinched together as she tried to figure something out.

"You mean two whole pies?"

"Of course," The Nekomimi frowned as he tried to decide what was so confusing about his order.

"Oh… Okay…" She turned her attention to the other two, wondering if their orders would be any stranger.

"I will have the stew." Near informed her in monotone. The two semi-humans turned to regard the young brunette impatiently while Light debated internally.

"Mm, how does the cook prepare the pheasant?" Light inquired.

"Light-kun will have the pheasant." Ryuuzaki interrupted bluntly with a look on his face that said he was to be obeyed without question. The young woman nodded pleasantly and drifted to the back of the dining room where the kitchen must have been located.

"I wasn't finished!" Light protested angrily.

"Light-kun would have wasted twenty minutes considering his choices, only to choose the pheasant and water," L droned indifferently, "possibly coffee, but I am childish and spiteful, and since I do not get cake, Light-kun is not allowed coffee." Light bristled at the Neko's callous attitude. Never mind that it probably _was_ what he would have chosen.

"What gives you the right to dictate what I can and cannot eat?" The brunette hissed, trying not to consider how Ryuuzaki could easily guess his eating habits after only three days of bickering.

"As I am the one paying, Light-kun should be grateful that I am feeding him at all."

He had nothing to say to that… but if that was Ryuuzaki's way of asking for a 'thank you,' he would be _severely_ disappointed.

"Wait, where did you get money?" Light asked suddenly. L gave him a flat stare.

"I borrowed it." The Nekomimi replied. Near was grinning openly for once.

"Define 'borrowed,'" The teen muttered.

"Suspicion is very unbecoming of a young princess, Light-kun."

"Ryuuzaki…" Light growled in warning. L sighed and looked up at the ceiling as he attempted to think of a way to dissuade the brunette from his train of thought.

"By 'borrowed,' I did in fact mean 'took out of someone's pocket without permission.'" The Neko clarified disinterestedly. He glanced forward as Light simply continued to stare at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be L?" The brunette said. "You know, champion of justice and all that?"

"Well, _actually_ I—"

"Stealing is illegal." The Princess interrupted him bluntly.

"Yes, I am well aware of that." Ryuuzaki said. "Light-kun's powers of deduction never cease to astound me."

"Oh, so it's sarcasm now? Real mature _L_." The raven-haired exile pouted at his brunette counterpart.

"It is only illegal if you get caught." L muttered resentfully. "Next time we will do it Light-kun's way and starve to death." The Nekomimi sarcastically promised just for spite.

"Hah, at least _I_ have morals, you crazed hypocrite."

"I am certain Light-kun's morals are so very overflowing with mystic abilities that they will uphold him for months without sustenance." L retorted with a crooked grin. He knew he should not be having this argument. It was immature, time consuming and completely fruitless… but he was bored and needed something to pass the time. Something productive did not seem quite as appealing as watching the brunette's face morph into those interesting expressions every ten seconds.

Again Light had nothing to say to that.

"There is our food." Near interrupted the suddenly awkward silence when Maiko emerged from the kitchen. The waitress made her way over to their table and set the dishes before them. She strolled off when it became apparent that they were not the chatty sort of customers the inn usually received.

Light watched in horrified fascination as L's face lit up at the sight of the over-sized pies. The Nekomimi delicately picked up a fork between thumb and forefinger before digging eagerly into the first baked monstrosity—Light was almost certain it was the raspberry one. The teen's face twisted into a comical expression of disgusted disbelief. It wasn't that L was a messy eater (he was surprisingly high-class about it, picking it apart in dainty little bites); Light abhorred sweets, and the thought of eating them as an actual meal was absolutely appalling.

The Nekomimi munched happily on his food, oblivious to the princess staring owlishly at him as he demolished the first pie in minutes. L switched the two plates' positions when he finished with the first pie and started on the second. Grey eyes glanced up finally when he noticed the brunette staring at him.

Light tried to keep his face blank as the Nekomimi looked at him—he really did. L's dark eyes were wide and curious, head tilted inquisitively in the brunette's direction. His fuzzy black ears stuck out in eager attention, his tail waving giddily behind him. Light stared in numb silence. The strangest thing was the fact that Ryuuzaki had taken a rather large bite beforehand and was currently staring at him with buggy eyes and cheeks filled like an over-sized chipmunk.

The princess averted his gaze quickly with a delicate cough to try and cover the grin of amusement twisting his lips. Not working. Light hid the smile behind his hand, faking a coughing fit—but was soon laughing outright into his palm when the Neko frowned in bewildered disapproval at him. Which was a feat in and of itself given the mouthful the feline was chewing. L quickly finished swallowing the bite and pouted at the chuckling teenager.

"And what, may I ask, is so very amusing about my eating habits?" The Neko questioned. Light shook his head in response: no idea. Well, that wasn't entirely true. No grown man had any right to be able to look that cuddly. And the fact that _Ryuuzaki_ (of all people) was the one to do it was hilarious. Besides, the man looked like he was ready to jump on the pie if it decided to make a run for the door.

A pale pink tongue flicked out to capture a few stray crumbs at the corner of his lips before L determined that he was going to be ignoring Light for the rest of his meal. Light turned his attention to his own food, his stomach suddenly remembering that he hadn't eaten in almost two days. Near nibbled on his food indifferently.

"We will be traveling to Kalli," L informed them when he finished off the last of his pie. Light stared at him silently for two seconds, fork poised before his lips as he tried to decide what would possess the Nekomimi to go _there_.

"… Why…?" The brunette voiced his skepticism aloud. Ryuuzaki shrugged.

"I have political acquaintances that may be able to influence the council there."

"Huh." Light put the fork in his mouth and slowly chewed the piece of poultry. Kalli wasn't a good place to be if you didn't have influence. His mother had described it as downright barbaric compared to most countries—most had gotten rid of slavery by that point. Kalli was sort of heading in that direction, but it was quite common practice to enslave non-humans. "You sure that's a good idea? I mean, for all we know, they could slap a slave brand on you the instant we cross the border…" Ryuuzaki chewed on his thumb for a moment or two.

"I am aware of that, Light-kun, but I am currently out of options at this point." L said. "Kalli is the only place I can be certain that does not have demonic creatures of some sort lurking behind the people of power. They are so paranoid about it that they are very guarded. This also makes them the most likely people to believe my warnings and I need _someone_ to start taking action." Light snorted.

"That also makes them the least likely people to trust you." The princess informed him.

"I do not need their trust, only their cooperation." Light shrugged. He supposed that was true, but trust would probably make things go smoother. Light quickly finished off his dinner as the older man waved Maiko over and asked if she had any spare rooms for the night (he suspected she was the owner of the inn).

"Sure," she replied easily and headed for the stairs. The three companions got up to follow her.

"Unfortunately, we only have rooms with one bed remaining. We can bring up two extra cots." She explained.

"Only one cot will be necessary." L informed her. Both Light and Maiko gave the Nekomimi a funny look, but otherwise chose not to comment. The woman left them in their room soon after to get the required foldable bed out of storage.

"So why only _one_ extra bed, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked after doing a quick inspection of their sleeping quarters.

"Light-kun need not worry about sharing his sleeping space, if that is his concern." Ryuuzaki murmured, his expression even more absentminded than usual. He was probably thinking—about what, Light couldn't even begin to guess at.

"So you're sharing with Near?"

"Do not be dense," the Neko was starting to get annoyed with having to explain every action, "someone has to keep guard, or we may find ourselves being stabbed to death in the middle of the night."

"Right." That hadn't occurred to the teen. He was so used to being able to sleep without worrying about some assassin sneaking up on him that it did not once cross his mind that it was dangerous to do so. He silently reappraised the haggard man before him again. He couldn't imagine how someone could grow to have that as an instinctive response: make sure you post guards, because there's over a fifty percent chance that someone is going to attempt to murder you in your sleep? His thoughts were interrupted when Maiko showed up with the promised sleeping arrangements.

"Light-kun will take the bed, Near the cot. I will take first watch." L ordered dispassionately when the woman left once again. The Neko settled himself against the wall where he could watch the window and door to either side of him, waiting for the other two to climb into their respective beds before he snuffed the candle.

The last thought Light had before fading into unconsciousness was that it was kind of eerie to see large eyes reflecting in the dark every few seconds.

--

Author's Note: You know, I think I have too much fun making them argue all the time. XD


	7. Entrenching Shadows

**Entrenching Shadows**

Light rolled over with a groan as sunlight burned through his eyelids. It was pleasantly warm, but not when it woke him up at some god awful hour in the morning. He bit down on a hiss of pain as exertion-stiff muscles spasmed in protest of the sudden movement. Maybe it was a bad idea to go to bed without stretching first. Chocolate eyes fluttered open, to be confronted by giant panda-stare of heart attack inducing death. The brunette yiped and jumped away from the staring ghoul face he woke up to. A squeal of protest filled the room as the blankets tangled about their startled prey and sent him somersaulting face first off the side of the bed. Ryuuzaki blinked curiously from his position at the other side of the bed. He hopped up onto the mattress and peered over at the thrashing brunette. It was quite comical… like a human inventing an odd ritual spider dance. Light finally managed to free himself from the clutches of the insufferable blankets and stood, alternately glowering at the sheets and the Nekomimi watching innocently from his new perch on the bed.

"What do you want?" Light snapped irritably at the wide-eyed Neko.

"We have to go now." Ryuuzaki replied, grinning inwardly at the state of the young man before him. His white shirt was sleep-rumpled and a little dirt streaked, a couple of the buttons having come undone in the middle of the night. His normally perfectly straight locks of hair were in complete disarray. It made L want to seriously consider reaching out to mess them up some more. The teen looked sort of like a disgruntled puppy that was sour over being tossed into a puddle of mud without permission.

"Could have found a better way to wake me up." Light huffed and set about the hopeless task of straightening himself out.

"It would not have been quite as amusing." Near voiced both his and L's thoughts aloud. Light rolled his eyes as he tucked in his shirt properly and fixed the collar.

"I don't think I like your sense of humor." The brunette groused and attempted to finger-comb his hair into a semblance of order. L shrugged disinterestedly and started out the door and down the stairs when Light had finished pulling on his boots. The teen forced stiff muscles to hobble their way quickly after the Neko and seer.

"Hey…" Light protested, "aren't we eating breakfast first?"

"No." Ryuuzaki waved a small backpack that Light had not noticed before. "We will eat as we walk." He explained, ignoring the melodramatic groan from the teenager trailing behind.

--

A warm summer breeze fluttered the multiple banners along the still battlements, wafting the faint sounds of celebration and revelry to the silent countryside. Inside the wall rested the charred skeletons of buildings closest to the stone and iron barrier, an unwelcome reminder of the year, cast in the shadow of the two-story wall and smelling of old smoke. The outside was a blaze of glorious red and orange, bathing the area in warm light from the setting sun. A single figure stood outlined against the collage of fiery colours, staring blindly at the churned earth twenty feet below his position at the top of the battlements. Another wagon ambled by, its workers chattering happily despite their grisly task. The metallic taste of blood in the air was all but gone now, and most of the bodies had been taken away and burned (what remained now was random body parts that had been over-looked the first time), leaving everyone with an almost hysterical giddiness as the fact of their survival began to sink in.

Shuichi Aizawa leaned stiffly against the waist-high ledge, deep-set eyes shadowed beneath ruffled hair. He wore full, stark black armor turned dark auburn in the fading light, as well as the large broadsword strapped across his back that had been his constant companion the past few months.

The recently elevated Knight-Lutenent stared blankly at a dark stain on the gritty stone next to one callused hand, ignoring the chill seeping up his arms from the bloodied stone. Eleven months, twelve days and six hours he had been leading this mindless battle. The siege had finally broken.

His men were emaciated and malnourished from the prolonged confinement and the numbers had been cut in half, but they were alive… somehow. His dark eyes briefly regarded the tattered parchment clenched in his armored fist. They wouldn't be for long if the bloody nobles had anything to say about it.

The garrison commander was drawn from his brooding thoughts as a colourfully plumed helmet began bobbing towards him out of the corner of his eye. He suppressed a grin as a dark-haired young man awkwardly (but enthusiastically) saluted him. Honestly, what was the old commander thinking when he appointed Touta Matsuda as second in command?

"Sir! Healers report that… uh… well, most of the injured are going to survive." They had obviously used more clinical terms that the young officer was not inclined to remember. Aizawa nodded and pushed himself away from his leaning position on the ledge.

"Well that's a relief, at least." Matsuda stared at his superior for a few seconds, wondering if he was imagining the depressed expression he thought he saw.

"Aw, come on commander!" He enthused. "It's not all bad. We won!" Aizawa scoffed.

"No, we survived." He grumbled and started for the stairwell. Matsuda huffed and stomped after his stubbornly morbid-minded commander.

"You can't say that wasn't victory." Maybe persistence would work where commonsense failed. Aizawa shook his head in exasperation. Nothing was going to derail the perpetual voice of optimism today. "We can go home, and maybe see families… well, I don't really have one since I'm a bachelor and all, but you got stuff to look forward to, right?" Aizawa attempted to ignore the man's happy chatter, but found it extremely difficult with that letter still scrunched in his fist.

They made it down to ground level and started in the direction of the building that had been dubbed the officers' quarters. Aizawa made small talk with some of the soldiers and civilians as they passed: worthless words of encouragement, really. Matsuda sort of continued to chitter aimlessly in the background.

The squat, square little wood building finally came into view just as Aizawa was beginning to critically consider drowning Matsuda in the well. He swiftly pushed his way in.

"Take a break." He ordered of the three startled secretaries sitting around the desk, buried up to their eyebrows in paperwork. "I'll need you back in an hour." Aizawa slumped into one of the vacated chairs as the three men nodded in relief and headed for the door. One of them hesitated at the threshold.

"Sir…" His eyes frowned as he took in Aizawa's haggard appearance. "Is everything alright?" Aizawa nodded curtly without taking his eyes from the desk before him.

"Yeah." He replied. "Fine." The secretary sighed and left, not believing him for an instant, but deciding that he would probably find out about it later anyway.

"Hey, good idea." Matsuda commented and grabbed a nearby seat. "They've been working non-stop through the night, y'know. Gods, what would we do without secretaries?"

"Be in an even bigger mess than we are now?" Aizawa deadpanned. It wasn't a question. Every good commander knew that an army was run on paperwork, dispatches and supply lists. The whole thing would fall apart without people to organize and keep track of everything. He was lucky in that Commanders only focused on the troops. He couldn't imagine having to sort all the problems of feeding the men, getting adequate transport for supplies, writing the families of the deceased… and everything in between.

Aizawa blinked as he saw Matsuda staring at him.

"What's with you?" Matsuda demanded. "You keep moping like that you're gonna start making the others nervous." He had a point. A valid one. Gods, he did _not_ want to deal with the end of the world on top of all of this.

Matsuda sighed and got up to make coffee when his superior said nothing. Honestly, some people…

"Look, we get to go back to the capital in a few days to rest up and then we're discharged." Matsuda explained needlessly. He fiddled around with the pots and cups. Luckily he didn't have to actually make any coffee since there was a lot made by the recently vacated secretaries. Matsuda hummed tunelessly to himself as he poured two cups. "Man, it's been way too long since I had a decent meal. Hey I know this great place in the East District and—"

"Matsuda, we're not _going _home." Aizawa finally interrupted. Matsuda paused and stared silently at the quietly fuming commander as he set the coffee cups on the desk. Aizawa aimlessly waved the dispatch he received from the capital. "New guy in charge. We don't _get _a discharge after five years now." Aizawa sighed when his second-in-command simply continued to stare at him in incomprehension. "We leave for Nymar tomorrow afternoon." _That_ seemed to get through.

"B-but…" Matsuda's eyes were wide and slightly confused. "We only have to serve for five years… then they release you, or offer higher pension to become an officer for another five years…" Aizawa frowned at him.

"Not anymore. Those rules held while the General Commander position was empty, but they found someone to replace L and he's making changes now." Matsuda dropped into his chair in horrified silence. The thought of going home had been the main driving force behind most of them through this horrible nightmare. Now they had to tell their men that there was a sudden change of plans?

"There's no way the soldiers are going to tolerate this." The young officer's face was abnormally serious. "There'll be outright mutiny when we tell them." Matsuda glanced up as Aizawa nodded in agreement.

"I know… but you better think of something, because every last one of them will be charged with high treason if they do." He said. "and so will we for being unable to control them." Matsuda groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Why me?" Oh, but weren't they all wondering that today?

"I used up all my creativity in the siege." Aizawa explained; it was more of an excuse. In all honestly, he was feeding Matsuda to the wolves since there was simply _no _way to cast the situation in a good light. "I'm sure you can figure something out." Matsuda huffed and picked up his neglected coffee mug.

"This really sucks."

That was probably the most accurate sum of events the Lieutenant had ever heard.

--

The sun seemed somehow chillier when they got outside. The continued sounds of construction persisted out of sight as the three travelers turned west once again.

"So… Kalli it is?" L sighed in resignation as Light attempted more conversation. He missed Misora's company. At least she understood the need for silence at times… and kept the princess occupied so he didn't have to talk to the boy. L nodded in response as they passed the final building on the outskirts of the village. The brunette lapsed into silence for a few minutes. "Where is Kalli?" L's ears twitched downward in annoyance.

"Across the mountains," Near replied, sensing that the anti-social Neko was at the end of his patience.

"How far is that?"

"It will take a week or two on foot. It depends on the weather." Light stared at the Nekomimi in disbelief.

"And we're going to _walk_ the entire way?" Light demanded. "No way! My legs will fall off!" L rolled his eyes, but chose not to look at the fussing brunette. "I've already been dragged through hell and back, monsters have tried to eat me and my _clothes_ are completely _ruined_." One furry black ear flicked back to listen to the teenager as he ranted. He found it quite comical that the last on the list seemed to be considered the most offensive.

"If Light-kun wished, I could always carry him again." Ryuuzaki droned. He glanced back to see the princess bristling irritably at him. Apparently there was enough intelligence in that pretty head for the teen to know when he was being teased.

"Why do we have to walk?" Light asked, refusing to acknowledge such a childish verbal jab. "Couldn't we buy horses or something?"

"No." Ryuuzaki replied a little too quickly. Light gave the Nekomimi a hard stare.

"… Why not?"

"There are many reasons, Light-kun, and I do not wish to explain them all." The Neko said. Light scowled.

"It's not as though we don't have time." Light argued.

"I have more productive things to do," Ryuuzaki continued, "than make conversation with overly talkative teenagers." L murmured dispassionately. Light glared; that one actually stung a bit. Insensitive bastard.

"Such as staring aimlessly at the ground while you walk?" The brunette snapped in annoyance.

"Exactly." L could feel death-ray eyes burning into the back of his skull for that comment

"You know, you're a jerk." Light observed when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"Light-kun is not the first to make this observation."

"Imagine that." Light's voice was layered with sarcasm. "So what're we going to do about food?" He changed the subject. Ryuuzaki thrust the small bag at the chatty princess. Maybe he would be quiet while he ate. Light pulled a wrapped eggroll out of the bag.

"There is a supply depot for the Caldara army a few hours from here." Ryuuzaki informed him. "We stock up on supplies from there." Light slowly chewed the bite of eggroll as he contemplated the Neko's intentions.

"… You're not going to steal again, are you?" Light asked, eying his furry-eared companion dubiously. L sighed and shook his head.

"No, I am not."

"Well, good." He'd already borrowed more money while the brunette had been sleeping, so there was no need to steal.

"Someone had best think of a way to get into Kalli undetected." Near interjected. It was quite humorous that the two men often forgot he was there. Light shrugged.

"We'll do that when we get there." L nodded in agreement. They had half a month to figure something out, how hard could it be? Near reached up to twirl his hair in exasperated amusement. Chances of saving the world were not very good if he had to rely on these two procrastinators to do it. "By the way…" Light turned his attention to the black-haired Nekomimi. "How do you intend to get supplies from this place if you're not going to steal them? They only send goods to the army, right?" L shook his head.

"The clerks are corrupt." L informed him. "They've been selling excess supplies to outsiders for years to make a profit."

"…"

L ignored the sudden silence.

"Why hasn't anyone stopped them?" Light asked. L smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Because I believed I may find myself in a situation where I may have to buy supplies from my own depots if I could not prove who I was." Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the smug attitude the man was displaying.

_Oh yes,_ Light sarcastically thought, _everyone worship the magnificent abilities of foresightfulness._ He still didn't believe that the Neko was really some former general of awe-inspiring greatness. He was freaky! _No_ one would take this creep seriously. Maybe he was one of those creepy accountants that they stuck in a corner out of sight. That would explain how the man knew so much about the army, right?

Light stumbled slightly on the jagged terrain and bit back a curse as his stubbed toe sent shooting pains through his foot. Life must really hate him. They didn't even have a real plan! Or… if they did, no one had the inclination to share it with him. The next two hours passed in relative silence, the occasional insult and retort aside…

"Oh good," Light said as a large, warehouse-like building came into view. "I assume this is it?" L nodded and headed down the steep incline.

"Watch your step." The Neko advised him while gingerly picking his way down the gravel hill.

Light snorted and started after Ryuuzaki as the Nekomimi led the way to the supply depot. The teenager yelped as some rocks gave way under him. He flailed about in an attempt to gain a hold on the landscape sliding by him—but to no effect. The teenager slid down the hill, silently cursing his fate, to land at the bottom in an indignant heap of pebbles. Ryuuzaki slowly made his way down to the brunette and stood above Light with his eyebrows raised in inquiry.

"I did warn you." Again in maddening monotone. Light's eyes shot daggers at the bored semi-human. It lacked conviction since the princess was currently half-buried in rubble.

"You know what Ryuuzaki?" Light said as he pulled himself out of gravel. L tilted his head, ears pricked forward in attention, but eyes clearing saying that he didn't care. "Just shut up." The Neko looked disappointed by the unimaginative come back. Light ignored him. He couldn't be creatively snide _all _the time. Although he was beginning to suspect that he would become a master of it within a few days if he was still with his scruffy companion at that point. He brush himself off as Ryuuzaki walked toward the warehouse and followed. The teen pulled some bread out of the snack bag the Neko had shoved at him earlier and munched on that for a while.

Ryuuzaki gruffly greeted a man that appeared in the doorway.

"Do you have anything for sale as far as foodstuffs?" The Nekomimi demanded bluntly. Light almost fell over. Bloody tactless _barbarian_. They had to find the right people to talk to first! He was shocked when the guard shrugged and waved them through. Ok… maybe the man _did_ know what he was talking about.

Beyond the door was a small room with a spindly office worker that was miraculously skinnier than the slender Neko. Papers were stacked in tall, precarious piles all over the place and several large doors were arrayed about the small room—presumably leading to storage and/or living quarters.

"Can I help you?" The old man's voice was raspy and seemed to easily match his stick-like appearance. L pulled the drawstring purse out of his pocket and let it dangle between thumb and forefinger as he spoke.

"I need a weeks worth of food." Ryuuzaki informed the man, watching as the accountant's eyes lit up at the sight of the rather large coin bag. Light deftly seized the bag from the momentarily distracted Nekomimi and took about a quarter of the contents before Ryuuzaki could protest.

"I'll get some things outside." Light explained as he handed the purse back to the incredulous part-time thief. Ryuuzaki pouted as the brunette turned towards the door.

"That's stealing." He muttered sourly. Light laughed in genuine amusement.

"No, it's borrowing." The teenager retorted as the door drifted shut behind him.

… _Brat…_ But he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

-

L sighed as he dragged the food packs out of the building, dreading what Light might have done with his money.

"Do not worry." Near advised. "He is more resourceful than you think." L didn't even bother to comment on that, but his skepticism was obvious. Near's gaze hardened. "Not everyone can survive off of nothing in the middle of the wilderness, Lawliet. I suggest you stop being so childish and not base your first impressions solely on that or this entire situation will end poorly."

"Are you lecturing me?"

"Yes." The albino seer admitted bluntly. "Obviously you need it or we would not be having this conversation." L glared at the young seer.

"Don't use that name in public." L ordered as he hoisted the backpacks and shuffled into the outside. Near shrugged and trailed after.

"Yes Commander L, Sir." Near mumbled in a monotone obviously intended to be sarcasm. L ignored him; this was why he hated seers. He _really _wished he had not ditched little Misora now. The Nekomimi jumped as a malevolent snort sounded near at hand and came face to face with his arch-nemesis. Ryuuzaki's tail bushed out and he backpedaled out of reach of the large teeth that nearly took a chunk out of his face. An involuntary hiss escaped his lips as the beast attempted to break out of its restraints to get at the retreating Neko-san.

"_Light-kun!_" Ryuuzaki barked at the brunette struggling to keep a hold of the reigns when he was a safe distance away. "I told you no horses!"

"Yes, well…" Light yanked down on the reigns, forcing the two horses' heads toward the ground. The two mounts paused uncertainly when their ability to see clearly before them was obstructed. "I figured I'd ignore you on this one…" He gripped the bridles and jerked the chestnut's head away from Ryuuzaki's direction. "Since it could cut our travel time—in _half_." Light grunted as the grey attempted to break away. He smiled sheepishly as Ryuuzaki just looked at him like he was a crazed lunatic. "They're a little spirited, I guess. But there's a bit of mountain pony in them, so they'll be good for passing through the mountains." L had to concede that point. The two horses could have been twins if he disregarded the colour difference. Both big boned, a little stocky, but with long legs for distance gallops. Not that they would be particularly inclined to race through treacherous mountain paths at a full gallop, but it would be useful if they did happen across any enemies.

Near drifted toward the grey gelding and placed a hand on the velvet soft snout. The horse instantly quieted, ears flicking forward as though listening to something. Near nodded suddenly.

"You can let go now." The seer murmured. Light let go of the bridle and watched in amazement as the dark-grey gelding trailed after Near like a pet puppy as the seer moved away. The brunette quickly turned his attention back to the golden-brown mare when she tried nipping his hand to make him let go. He jerked resolutely on the bridle to get the mare's attention and glared.

"You be good." He said firmly, tightening his grip to get his point across. Horses weren't stupid animals, especially war horses. Most of them were smarter than dogs if you just knew how to train them. These two had been rejected from the war line because they were too lightweight to make it with the heavy chargers, but too aggressive to have any success in the light infantry either. He glanced up to see Ryuuzaki still hovering a good ten feet away. "What are you doing? Come on, we have to get going."

"I cannot ride, Light-kun." The Nekomimi insisted.

"It's not going to kill you, now come here." Ryuuzaki regarded the bared teeth and flattened ears of the giant war horse and had to promptly disagree with that assessment.

"Let me restate: I do not know _how _to ride." The Neko admitted reluctantly. Light stared at him.

"What?" L shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and glared through his shaggy bangs at the disbelieving brunette.

"I do not know how to ride a horse." He repeated it slowly that time to make sure Light would understand him. The princess glanced at the mare, then back at the obviously discomfited Neko-san. He grinned suddenly.

"You're not frightened, are you?" Ryuuzaki bristled at the implication, though his dark eyes remained riveted on the large beast incase it decided to charge him again.

"I am not frightened of horses," Ryuuzaki patiently explained, "merely cautious because they tend to make attempts on my life when I am within trampling distance." Light was not buying it.

"Then _cautiously_ get your tail over here and in the saddle." The brunette advised with an even bigger grin.

"I told you I cannot—"

"Well it's a good thing that I can since we have to ride double anyway." Light observed candidly. Ryuuzaki began to enter his Pout and Scowl mode when the brunette refused to be dissuaded, but eventually shuffle-stomped over to the waiting Brunette Duo of Death. Yes, he was referring to both Light-kun and the horse.

"What are we going to do with these?" Ryuuzaki hoisted the two backpacks. Light handed the Neko the mare's reigns and grabbed the backpacks before walking over to the gelding.

"We'll tie them to Near's saddle since there'll be more room." The teenager explained. L wasn't listening. He was too busy meeting the gaze of a homicidal chestnut mare, trying to determine which vital part of his body he would have to defend first when the psychotic creature finally realized it had L to herself. Luckily, it didn't get the chance. Light was back in a moment, having already secured the packs to the other mount. The princess took the reigns back and looked expectantly at the dark-haired man. "Well, get on." Ryuuzaki looked at the confusing mass of buckles and leather, briefly wondering how he was supposed to mount a horse. He didn't really want to just jump onto it. It might move…

"Use the stirrups." Light said.

"Stirrups?" L asked blankly. Oh, right. Stirrups. He remembered something about the medal things during his attempted equestrian lessons as a child… This was stupid. L finally just grabbed the top of the saddle and pulled himself up to perch precariously at the back of the leather contraption. He met Light's incredulous stare with his own expressionless one. The brunette simply shrugged and moved to the mare's side. L watched curiously as the brunette lifted one long leg to reach the closest stirrup. Light gripped the front of the saddle with both hands. His thigh muscles tensed and coiled, abruptly levering the teenager up, allowing him to swing his other leg over the saddle as the brunette gracefully settled in his seat and hook his free foot into the other stirrup. The Neko blinked slowly. If that was how it was done, he did not think he would be riding on his own for a while.

Ryuuzaki sucked in a startled breath as the horse suddenly shifted beneath him, almost causing the Nekomimi to overbalance.

"Ryuuzaki, you have to hold on if you don't want to fall off." Light informed him. L nodded in agreement and tried to decide the best way to go about it. "H-hey! Not like _that_." Light protested. The Neko pouted.

"Why not?"

"For goodness sake, sit _properly_."

"I don't want to." L determined that the perfect position was in his usual crouch; knees pressed up against Light's back, hands gripping the brunette's shoulders to prevent him from falling off.

"Your _toes_ are digging into my _backside_. We are _not_ riding like this." Light snapped.

"If I sit like Light-kun," Ryuuzaki explained as though to a very slow child, "it will be even more uncomfortable since he will _essentially_ be sitting on my—"

"Ok! Ok!" Light hastily interrupted. "Alright, I get it." L smirked as he saw the teen's ears turn red.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Yes?" Ears perked.

"Shut up."

Ryuuzaki grinned.

Light gently nudged the chestnut mare with his knees, noting that the Neko's grip on his shoulders tightened considerably as the horse began to move. Near was already on his mount, sitting casually sideways with one leg drawn to his chest. The gelding seemed to follow Light of its own accord, without any prompting from the silent albino. He assumed that Near could probably talk to animals because of his telepathy.

"So…" Light pointed between two peaks in the near distance. "We go that way?"

"Correct." L answered. Light nodded and used the reigns to ease the mare in that direction. She fought him for a few moments, but eventually gave in and started toward them at a leisurely walk. Iron horseshoes crunched on the packed gravel as they neared the tree line. Light sighed as the mare suddenly sidled to the right. He shifted his weight to ride with the sudden movement and shortened the reigns to force the mare's muzzle toward her chest. The mount paused at the restriction of movement, snorted and pawed the ground in disappointment while Ryuuzaki clung anxiously to him from behind.

Light slowly relaxed the shortened reigns and urged the mount forward once again when she stopped fidgeting. Nothing too unpredictable thus far, so at least she wasn't bad tempered. Just a little stubborn—not unlike a certain-someone-else that he was stuck with.

"Light-kun is quite a skilled rider." Ryuuzaki observed mildly. Light shrugged and aimlessly watched the passing undergrowth as they plodded along.

"One of the few useful skills Princesses are required to have, I guess." The chestnut mare picked her way daintily around a prickle bush under Light's watchful eye. He didn't doubt the horse might try and dump him into the bush if he wasn't careful. "I mean, do you have any idea how often those muscle-headed fools do battle and then pass out from exhaustion right after?" It was a rhetoric question. "You'd have to be able to handle even a twenty-five-hand war horse that has been trained to obey only one rider. Not exactly an easy task when that rider is laying in a drooling mess in the mud." A vivid image of Light standing in a pretty silk gown and a tiara jumped into L's head, glaring in utter disgust at a fainted knight and staring a seven-foot-tall white charger into submission.

Light glanced back to see Ryuuzaki smiling in amusement—for what, he didn't really want to know.

"What are you smiling about?" He had to ask anyway, even if his tone _was _a little suspicious. Ryuuzaki released one of the teen's shoulders to nibble on his thumb.

"I imagine that Light-kun would take his horse and leave him there." Was the simplistic reply. Light rolled his eyes and tossed his hair away from his face as he turned forward once again. The forest around them was slowly darkening, becoming more dense. L craned his ears forward as the brunette chuckled suddenly.

"You know, you're probably right." He admitted ruefully. Twinkling brown eyes met onyx in the waning light. "I was never any good at the whole Damsel in Distress gimmick." The Neko smirked.

"I would disagree," Ryuuzaki countered. "Light-kun has done a remarkably accurate performance of it thus far." Light elbowed the man behind him in exasperation, though an embarrassed expression painted his features as he did so. He couldn't really blame Ryuuzaki for thinking that. He hadn't exactly been at his best when they met… or anytime thereafter. It was a little mortifying, but his travelling companion was just so weird on his own that he couldn't really bring himself to care about it too much. Ryuuzaki frowned suddenly. "When did you change clothes?" Light scoffed at the fact that the normally observant Nekomimi was just now noticing his change in attire. The clothes were darker now and made of sturdier cloth. Brown, military issue breeches with a black leather belt were tucked into his knee-high riding boots. His shirt was long-sleeved and also black with little bits of formal embroidery along the neck cuffs. He believed the shirt was a modified version of the mage's uniform. In any case, it was a lot more serviceable and wouldn't get dirty in less than two minutes.

"I needed something that could stand up to a little more rough living." The princess explained. "My other clothes were completely useless."

"Then why were you wearing them?"

"They were more practical than a white silk dress and high heels." Ryuuzaki raised an eyebrow in bemused disbelief. Light caught the expression out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, I'm not joking. I couldn't exactly ask my mother to get me more sensible clothes, or it would have raised suspicion."

"So you _are_ a runaway Princess, then?" It wasn't a question. Light sighed.

"Am I really that obvious?"

"Yes." Light rolled his eyes.

"Thanks."

"Your welcome." Near deftly tuned out the bickering duo and allowed the little colourful spheres of light to materialize around him. The grey gelding beneath him snorted in inquiry as a small green one floated in front of its face.

_:Food?:_ It thought, attempting to bite the odd little ball.

_:No.: _Near replied patiently. He did not like speaking with animals. Their minds were horrifically simple, usually consisting of only a few coherent thoughts in total. This horse was quite the glutton from what he had listened to so far. It knew food, battle, simple inquiries and more food. The gelding whickered in disappointment, but soon left the strange anomaly alone. Near focused inward. Disjointed images raced across his second Sight. Mangled bodies, screaming, black smoke choking the sky… then knights, and demons, and a shadow… shadow? Was that important? The seer attempted to focus his Sight on the rippling shade, but every time he got close, something would interrupt, or it would shrink away. Various other images bombarded him; was it to draw his attention away from this being?

Near smirked and pressed on. Not likely. If this thing thought it could hide from him by attempting to distract him with gruesome images, it was sadly mistaken. But if it was consciously doing this… didn't that mean it also had the Sight? Near blanched as the shadow suddenly expanded to encompass his entire Vision – reaching for him, trapping him. The seer struggled to back away, get away _now_. He could feel adrenaline racing through his distant body. He had to get _back_. If he was drawn much further from his physical form, his body would stop functioning and die within a matter of minutes. The thought sent a shock of panic through the small albino.

Absolutely _not_. That was _not_ going to happen. The obscure shadow was an all encompassing darkness by that point. Poking and stabbing at him as the seer collected his power. It _hurt_, interrupting his concentration every few seconds. Near stared grimly at the dark obstruction, ignoring the pain when he knew that it would threaten his survival if he reacted to it. He focused on one thought: back. Back to his body, out of this shadow. The seer concentrated all of his attention on that, power quickly building in response to his urgency. Near released the command, biting back a scream as raw force ripped out of him like a tidal wave. He felt himself slingshot back to his body, burning away the last traces of the creature as he went.

"Near?!" Light caught the albino boy as he pitched forward with a cry of pain. "What happened?" He demanded. "What's going on?" All he knew was that one minute the boy was fine, then his eyes went dead for almost an hour. He started to glow a bright white for a few seconds and then shot awake with a scream.

The young seer was limp with exhaustion, trembling and trying to hide it. The teenager cradled the panting boy gently, trying to keep from panicking himself. He didn't know what to do. One look at Ryuuzaki told him that even _he_ was at a loss. A few minutes passed, allowing Near to finally regain his composure, though his expression had shown nothing more than mild strain.

"All is well." He murmured, pushing himself into a sitting position. The two older men both gave him _The Look_. The one that said 'Oh, don't give me that bullshit.'

Near hugged his knee to his chest and stared contemplatively into the trees. Someone—or _thing_—didn't want him to See whatever was behind that shadow. They even made it with attack capabilities… He could not face that on his own. He would need others to keep his body alive and use defensive spells to hold off the attacks. But it could just be a distraction. Something to make him waste his efforts while the real threat slipped by.

"What did you See?" L asked. The little green sphere slowly faded back into existence, having shattered earlier. The albino stared meditatively into its glowing depths.

"Much of the same." Near replied, his voice a little hoarse, but still expressionless. "Death, fire, destruction…" The Neko leaned further over Light's shoulder. He did not believe the Seer for an instant. The pale boy glanced up and quickly away. "There was something else," he admitted. "but I do not understand its meaning yet."

"So… you're alright?" Light wanted to make sure. Near nodded in response, but decided not to return to his own mount immediately. The teenager waited for some sign of what was going on, but shrugged and nudged the chestnut mare forward when the boy showed no inclination to move from his seat. The gelding trailed obediently behind as the travelers resumed their trail, an awkward silence settling between them as they rode. Light glanced down at the white haired child. "… Are you sure?" The brunette asked again as the stoic seer leaned against him. Near really didn't strike him as the type to accept much physical contact, much less initiate it on his own.

"Yes."

Light glanced back at Ryuuzaki, his expression questioning—and promptly wished he hadn't. That creepy stare was _waaayyy_ too close for comfort.

"Uhm… Ryuuzaki?" L tilted his head to let the brunette know that he was indeed listening. "I'm feeling a little crowded here." _So back off. _Ryuuzaki regarded the princess mutely for a few seconds as though mentally digesting this new fact. He suddenly looked at Light like he was a complete idiot.

"Well, we _are _riding three in one saddle, Light-kun." Light stared. Was the man _serious?_ The brunette shook his head. He wasn't even going to touch that one. It was best for his sanity if he just dropped it and endured the discomfort.

Near allowed himself to listen to their aimless banter as he attempted to puzzle through what he had Seen and his reactions afterward. It was true that he did not particularly like physical contact. There was rarely a useful application for it in his life… but when he felt like he had been rolling around in dead bodies after being touched by that _thing_, he decided that he would rather not be sitting alone while the sensation remained. He felt better knowing that a fellow human was at hand… maybe it was his animalistic instincts motivating him. Humans were supposed to be community motivated after all. Like horses… or wolves…

That had definitely been Blood Magic at work. If he based his theories off of that, it was obvious that humans were somehow involved. They were the only beings capable of harvesting that kind of power. He would have to work out a spell to conceal himself from the Sight if he wanted to avoid placing his companions in danger. That… shadow (it annoyed him to no end that he could not determine what might lay behind it) knew him know. It would only be a matter of time before it managed to trace him and watch his every move. It was more powerful. Undoubtedly. But he could construct defenses that would slow its search down.

Light frowned as the boy slipped into another trance, now leaning his full weight into the brunette. "What's he doing?" The teen asked Ryuuzaki quietly, as though the seer were sleeping. Ryuuzaki shrugged.

"Mystic things." Was the Neko's offhanded remark. Light turned his head to look at the somber expression covering the boy's face as his dark eyes slowly closed.

"Does this happen often?"

"Often enough." Ryuuzaki admitted. "Though I've never seen him wake up screaming before." Light snorted.

"No doubt." Near's eyes snapped open, causing the brunette to jump.

"Still with us?" Light asked, worried despite himself. Near nodded and reached up to twiddle a lock of hair between his fingers. He could practically taste the compassion and paternal instincts radiating from the young man. It was a little embarrassing, actually. True, he was only thirteen, but he had long believed himself to be self-reliant and quite capable of handling the situations he faced. People really didn't have much place to be worrying about him when the world was on the verge of ripping itself apart. Near coughed suddenly, burying his mouth in his sleeve. A few others followed, his throat and stomach feeling suddenly abrasive and raw.

"Is that blood?" Light asked suddenly, staring in horrified silence at the previously snow-white sleeve as Near let it drop away from his face. The albino lifted his arm for inspection. It was indeed.

"Hm."

"What do you mean 'hm'?!" The teenager demanded heatedly, paternal instincts spiking.

"It is nothing to concern yourself with." Near murmured, feeling queasy despite his assurances. "These are common side effects to the over exertion of my abilities. It is not fatal." Hopefully. It _could_ be fatal if he ever pushed things beyond his body's ability to cope, but he rather doubted that was the case. Another coughing fit seized him suddenly, leaving the boy weaker than before. His insides began to burn, stomach clenching painfully as his body suddenly gave a huge retch. Sour bile and the sickly metallic taste of congealing blood filled his mouth as the pale-skinned boy leaned over the side of the horse to dump the contents of his bleeding stomach onto the ground.

He vaguely heard Light Yagami trying to figure out what to do, but he was loosing consciousness. There was no way to tell the brunette that it was a natural occurrence. He didn't have the physical stamina to pay the price for his magic, so now it was raking in its dept with pain and agony to make the seer pay up for it.

Near's vision went black.

Maybe he miscalculated how much power he used…

--

Author's Note:OMG I'M SO SORRY! Throw things at me. Put me on the rack. _Disembowel my innards. _DX I'm such a horrible person for taking so long to update. Trust me; I know. I love you all, really. I made myself go through and read all your comments again to guilt myself into getting this evil chapter written. I hate writer's block. And work. And family obligations.

But now that it _is _done: rejoice! It's all fantastically long and such. And look! Plot depth. Oooo… (0.0) ((-- See? Wide staring eyes of awe. And sparkles.

...

Well _I_ thought it was clever. DX )) Plooottt ddeeepppttthhh… Phear its awesomeness. I feel so horrible doing this to Near. ;-; And I love Matsu. Dun worry, we'll definitely see more from that angle as well. See? It's not _all_ sunshine and smiles. Anyway... don't mind me. It's really late, and I'm so proud of this chapter that it's making me giddy.

I apologize for any typos or weirdosity. I haven't even read the thing over and I don't have time if I want to get it posted sometime before _tomorrow _night. XO I'll fix them within the next two days. Btw, the title sucks. I made it up, like, three seconds before hitting the "submit" button.

EDIT: Ok, so lots of typos, I guess. DX Oh! You must go to my profile, and look at the picture that MiaoShou made, okies? It's of when Light and L first meet in the tree. I loved the outfit he used on Light so much that I shamelessly stole it in this chapter. XD

EDIT 2: I think I got them all... Evil typo demons. Btw, anyone interested in helping me beta a fic I've been working on? Almost done chapter one. It's a BB/L fic. So it obviously going to be dark... and if you haven't read Another Note, you'll be a little lost... actually, come to think of it, you could probably understand the story even without having read the book. I'm sad because beta-readers seem to avoid me like the plague. :(


	8. Of Knights and Bandits

**Chapter 8**

Near groaned inaudibly, the barest hiss of breath escaping pale, chapped lips. He felt nauseous, and weak. A brief attempt to move to a sitting position achieved nothing more than a slight twitch in his fingertips. The boy stared meditatively at the insides of his eyelids as he attempted to force movement by strength of will alone. He became more aware of the various painful sensations assaulting his body – like his organs were spontaneously liquefying in hydrochloric acid, while he suffered from motion sickness and a head splitting migraine.

Dilated pupils shifted attentively beneath the pale eyelids. He vaguely remembered something that tasted foul, and snippets of conversation that made little sense to his half-conscious brain. Near hazily acknowledged that he was not, in fact, imagining his motion sickness. He was moving—being carried? No.

The sound of familiar voices captured the Seer's wandering attention. They were garbled, and confused him in his current state, but slowly began to take form over the course of a few minutes. Something to do with work. Or abilities.

Near slowly forced his eyes open to see his travelling companions walking in front of him, staring intently at each other as they walked. Walked? What about the horses? His lips parted in an attempt to get some answers, but released nothing more than a dry rasp that went ignored.

"Hey, it's not like I _asked_ to be a Princess." Light's voice was annoyed, and defensive. "The perverted mirror did it."

"Mikami?"

"Yea—you know him?"

"I should believe so," L's low monotone replied, "he was responsible for my own predicament when I was your age." There was silence for a few seconds.

"… He didn't… destine _you_ to be a Princess, did he?" Complete disbelief. The Neko actually looked amused at the thought.

"No, Light-kun, he did not." L replied. Near was more amazed that the two were managing to maintain a civil conversation with one another. How long had he been out?

Light could no longer contain his curiosity. "Then what are you, really?" L brought a thumb to his lips, looking at the sky aimlessly as he considered the question. He was slightly aware that The Seer was beginning to stir, but chose to ignore it until the boy was fully conscious.

"The mirror told me I was supposed to be a knight." L mused. Light stared at him for a few seconds before snickering quietly.

"You're a Knight?" He asked in disbelief. L's opaque gaze turned to stare expressionlessly at the scoffing teenager.

"No." Light blinked.

"But you jus—"

"I said the mirror proclaimed that I should to be one." L interrupted him plainly. "I never pursued this occupation."

"… It's impossible to 'not pursue' your destiny, L." The teenager pointed out with an incredulous expression. "It just happens." L stared flatly at the Princess with an expression of bland annoyance.

"Only if you allow it to 'just happen,' Light-kun." L mumbled. "Knights are pawns, with nothing more to aspire to than rescuing screaming damsels, slaying dragons, and worshiping their kings/liege lords." Mahogany eyes stared thoughtfully at the hunched figure next to him. He honestly did not know what to make of the man. One minute he's an irritating, obtuse little smartass. The next a deep, thoughtful individual. And then a childish twenty-five year old who thinks cake is a dinner food… "Light-kun?"

Light shook his head and focused on the wide eyes staring at him. He supposed his expression must have given something away to make the Neko question him.

"Just wondering what you'd consider yourself at this point." A strange little smile suddenly painted the Neko's face, a sudden childish glee that made absolutely no sense to the brunette.

"Mysterious Exiled Theif-Knight-Lord." Light blinked.

L grinned.

"Ryuuzaki, that's ridiculous." The wide-eyed smile turned into a pout, although the dejected expression did not reach his eyes.

"So is a male Princess."

…

They both lapsed into silence.

Light shook his head in hidden amusement. There was something seriously wrong with the both of them, though the teen could admit that he was quickly adapting to the man's strange quirks. The ogling was almost tolerable now, if still fairly creepy.

L mainly ignored the brunette, savoring every moment of his precious silence.

It didn't last long.

"Sir Lawliet." Light turned to him with an evil grin as the title just seemed to roll off his tongue. L stared in his usual wide-eyed manner, though Light fancied that he was annoyed.

"Light-kun should not address me as such." L informed him around the digit he was nibbling on.

"Why not, _Sir_ Lawliet?" Light inquired innocently, relishing the faint narrowing of the thief-knight's eyes as he put emphasis on his non-title. The former Princess paused as L allowed his hand to fall to his side and drifted to a stop to look the younger man straight in the eye.

"Because it feels as though Light-kun is flirting with me," L clarified, "and that is a most uncomfortable thought." Light smirked in amusement as the older man started to walk again, which slowly faded as the implications of the statement began to sink in. His feet faltered to a halt as his face blanched, then flushed a deep crimson. L continued on for a few steps as though oblivious to Light's sudden horror and turned when the teenager was no longer next to him. Light felt his face grow hotter as the man looked at him as though he were an interesting portrait on display. Light slowly convinced his feet to move and was soon walking next to the scruffy Neko-san again.

"It wasn't flirting." Light said, abruptly breaking the awkward silence that had settled around them. L gave him an expressionless stare. "There's a difference between flirting and teasing, L." He explained quickly, maybe a trifle too defensively. L brought his thumb back up to his lips.

"I see," Light glared scathingly at the endlessly monotonous entity next to him. Was that the beginnings of a smirk he detected? No. He was imagining things. L didn't _have_ emotions. Evil, creepy, manipulative gargoyle that he was… with cute fluffy ears and giant, staring eyes… Light scowled at him outright, not bothering to hide his irritation with the should-be-knight.

"How would you know what flirting is anyway?" The teenager demanded in his defense. L quirked an eyebrow as he turned his head to regard the brunette.

"Contrary to popular belief, Light-kun, I often find myself dealing with such situations." The Neko stated. He refrained from comment on how unpleasing the slack-jawed expression on Light's face proved to be. Light's mouth worked silently as he tried to give voice to his disbelief. _L_ the target of sexual advances? The very thought was absurd.

"… You're kidding, right?" It came out more high-pitched than he liked. L blinked slowly, a smile playing about the edges of his lips.

"Does my sex-life interest Light-kun?" Wide innocent orbs. Light sputtered indignantly.

"W-who the hell said anything about _sex?_" Light cried. "No!" He answered anyway. "No it does not!" It was L's turn to invade personal space as the Neko stopped and leaned forward to stare intently into the brunette's mahogany eyes. Light backed away in alarm, looking about ready to have a panic attack.

"I find Light-kun's over-reaction to be very suspicious in these circumstances." L observed aloud, dancing with glee on the inside as the teenager blushed again, his face reaching new heights of horror.

"I'm not over-reacting!"

"D… Do w… any… water?" Near whispered from his position on the gelding – not quite ready to attempt complete sentences, but finally aware enough to communicate. Light whirled toward the gelding he was leading with an expression of relief. He did not want to deal with anymore of the creep's psychoanalysis nit-picking.

"Near!" Light exclaimed and tossed the reigns to Ryuuzaki as he went to check on the young albino. L, for the most part, froze after instinctively grabbing the reigns out of the air. His expression suddenly took on a murderous quality. Perhaps he could intimidate the beasts into submission. The gray ignored him. The mare simply snorted in his direction, completely unimpressed.

Apparently not.

"How're you feeling?" Light asked as he loosened the straps keeping the boy in the saddle.

"Fine." Near lied. "Water?"

"Give me a second." Light quickly finished undoing the buckles and slid the limp body from the horse. The Princess grabbed the water canister from his belt and held it to Near's lips, pointedly ignoring the impatient stare directed his way from a certain fluffy-eared nuisance.

"Light-kun…"

"We should stop here for the night." Light said, ignoring the blank expression that surely hid an intense killing intent from the older man. Near shrugged in response, slightly uncomfortable with being held by the chatty brunette.

"It is not yet nightfall." L deadpanned, and bristled as the Princess flicked his hand in a dismissive manner. _Prissy little…_ The Neko clamped down on his irritation. He would _not_ get annoyed.

"Can you take care of the horses, Ryuuzaki?" L sighed. This was going to be a long trip…

--

L reluctantly tied the horses to a tree, and jumped back before the mare could get any ideas about chewing his tail off. Near was once again unconscious. L frowned irritably as the brunette ordered him to find water, and wondered when they (he) had elected Light as the new group leader… but he did as he was asked.

"Do not wander, Light-kun." L warned as he headed in the direction of a stream he could hear a few hundred yards away from their 'camp.' He received a noncommittal noise in response, but decided that was enough. The teen seemed quite busy fussing over the unconscious albino.

Sparse pine needles lightly prickled his bare feet as the Neko strolled his merry way toward the water his ears told him was nearby… Thinking very important things as he did so.

About demons.

And Prophesies of Doom/Death.

…

… And _not_ fussy brunette Princesses with nothing better to do than get in his way.

L scratched an ear in distraction as the river finally came into view, almost blinding in the late afternoon sun. He was over thinking events again. He should know better by now that he could not predict the situation anymore than Near and the Seer's colleagues could. The Neko pulled a fairly large water canister out of his pocket. It could stretch to hold up to eight gallons of liquid if he needed it to, which was good since they were travelling towards desert country. The Neko crouched gingerly on the river bank and dipped the waterproof container into the stream, fighting down the instinctive urge to snatch his hand away from the chill water.

L quickly capped the container and lifted the water skin from the river. He slung it over his shoulder and headed back to the camp.

The Neko paused as he stepped back into the small clearing.

"Light-kun?" He inquired, glancing around to see if he had missed the tall figure somewhere in the trees. Nope. There was only Near, laying in the exact same pathetic condition he had been before the Nekomimi left. L dropped the water with a silent curse and shot up the nearest tree, nimble toes and fingers finding easy purchase on the rough bark. The Neko stopped on a branch halfway up the tree, crouching with toes curled to balance on the swaying limb. He glared—yes, _glared._ Quite angrily—at the concealing underbrush, straining his ears for any sign of the missing brunette… Nothing.

L frowned.

He would be severely chagrined if he discovered that the Princess was kidnapped or some other nonsense. He had never been one suited for dashing rescues, or daring escapes. The Nekomimi's ears twitched. His legs tensed and launched him at a branch across from his tree. The tree limb sunk precariously under his weight as the Neko successfully landed on the slender branch and continued forward.

L dropped a few levels lower as he caught sight of light brown in the green foliage.

"Light-kun!" He snapped and dropped directly in front of him. The princess gave a startled shriek and wacked him with the plants he was holding. Repeatedly. L lazily held up an arm to defend against the entirely frivolous strikes.

"What, the,_ hell, _Ryuuzaki?!"

Each syllable punctuated by a bush slap. The Neko snatched the leafy greens from the Princess impatiently, unintentionally crushing the delicate plants in his fist. "Hey! I need those!" L frowned.

"Light-kun should have thought of that prior to leaving my sight and deciding to pulverize them against me when I attempted to search for him." Light glared at the obviously put out feline. The princess paused.

"Were you worried about me?" Light asked suddenly. The Neko's eyes narrowed, silently telling the brunette that he was being ridiculous.

"What are the plants for?" L muttered, ignoring the foolish question. Light forced his expression to remain pleasantly neutral, though inwardly he was smirking. He decided not to push the issue.

"For Near." L gingerly handed the plants back, and moved to chew absently on a thumbnail as the brunette resumed whatever it was he had been doing before. Ew… plant juice… The Neko made a face and shoved his hand back in his pocket.

"I see." He really didn't. L watched the brunette work a few moments longer before turning his attention elsewhere. It was boring. Was it a good idea to leave Near unattended?

It would probably make no difference.

What _did_ bother him was that Light had overheard the Seer use his real name, and seemed to have no doubt that it wasn't another alias.

L scowled as the Princess broke him out of his thoughts with demands that he 'do this' and 'do that' when they reached the clearing… which was soon followed by 'stop it' and 'don't touch that.'

"I am amazed at the amount of practical skills Light-kun has acquired, given his occupation." Ryuuzaki observed, unable to completely suppress the minor feelings of resentment at being ordered around by a… well, anyone. It was annoying watching the teen combine ingredients in a pot of water that _L_ had to boil – hey, making fire was _hard_ without spells or oil!

"Oh, shut up." L blinked questioningly at the suddenly irate brunette. "You make it sound like a bloody miracle, _Lawliet._"

"Do not use that name." L muttered – paranoid tendencies spiking. Light huffed, but did not argue as he removed the pot from the fire to cool. L wanted to ask how on earth that horrible smelling, green slop was supposed to help the indisposed seer, but he assumed it was like a potion or something. Healing potions always tasted like they were going to kill you, so he wouldn't doubt it.

Light quickly felt the young boy's forehead. His cheeks were flushed and clammy, but he felt cool to the touch, which could not be a very good sign. The teen retrieved some blankets from their packs and bundled the snowy child up in them as he waited for the mixture to cool.

"Are you really _the_ L, or is this all some twisted joke?" Light demanded bluntly of the vacant-eyed madman crouching next to him.

"A joke." The Neko replied without hesitation. "I am a very sadistic person, Light-kun."

"I hadn't noticed," Came the sarcastic retort. Light glared at the perpetually infuriating creature next to him. "Give me _some_ credit here, Ryuuzaki. I know you're lying."

"Then there is no need for Light-kun to make such inquiries."

"Yes there is."

"I fail to see why." Light rolled his eyes, but decided that he was getting nowhere with the pointless conversation. L frowned as the Princess remained resolutely silent. "This does not concern Li—"

"It does concern me, L." Light interrupted, his expression completely serious. "If I'm going to be stuck travelling with you, I think I should know a few things." The dark-haired man shrugged. Not that he disagreed, but he had never been very comfortable with telling the truth, even if there was no harm in it.

"Then yes, I am L," the Nekomimi admitted suddenly, "does this satisfy Light-kun?"

"… Not really." The teen checked on the cooling potion. "Ok, we're going to have to wake him up for a moment." L looked at him like he was an idiot. Again. "_Stop_ giving me that look. He can't drink it if he's asleep." The Neko regarded the sleeping boy silently. He supposed there were plenty of ways to wake him up. Dump him in the river, stick his hand in the fire, hit him with something heavy… think unbearably unpleasant things at him… Since he suspected Light-kun would object to the others, L decided that the last option was the most prudent, if a little invasive.

"… What are you doing…?" Light asked as the Neko rested a single index finger on Near's forehead, an expression of extreme concentration (or maybe just boredom) settling on his pale features.

"Thinking."

"And how is _that_ supposed to help?"

"… He's a Seer, Light-kun."

The brunette decided he had said enough after that.

Light noticed the boy stirring, eyebrows creased as he struggled toward consciousness. He couldn't help but wonder what on earth the Neko could be thinking at him.

Near cringed away with an almost inaudible moan.

"Oh bloody hell, Lawliet," it came out as a raspy whimper, eyes still screwed shut. "There are some things I do not need to know… And your rampant perversity is one of them…" The petite albino buried his face in Light's lap, monotonously demanding that the brunette save him from the Nekomimi's thoughts.

Light sent Ryuuzaki a glare and swatted the bony hand away from the apparently traumatized albino. Ryuuzaki huffed in mock irritation as the Princess fussed over Near. At least he hadn't had to wrack his imagination too much. Mostly useless, and annoyingly talkative, at least the brunette was pretty to look at. Well, maybe a bit more than 'pretty,' but the Neko was not about to dwell on it. Though he supposed that wasn't really a surprise since Light _was_ a Princess and all…

Ok, _not_ dwelling on it.

Near made a sickened face as Light practically force fed him a cup of the bitter potion.

"How long until Near can travel?" L asked, discontentedly eying the sun as it slowly migrated down the horizon. The albino had already lost consciousness again.

"He should be fine after a night's rest, why?"

"No reason." L murmured, subtly sniffing the western breeze. Sweat, and old blood. His senses were not _that_ keen; it had to be fairly close for him to smell that. No more than a mile. Ash… Smoke was strong, he could smell smoke from anywhere within ten miles, but he did not know what the smells meant. They were too vague. Burning meat? The war couldn't have reach this far, yet. The Neko quickly shuffled over to the fire and began drowning it in dirt.

"What are you doing?" Light demanded from his seat next to the slumbering albino.

"We are hunted men, Light-kun." L explained. "It is dangerous to have a fire after nightfall."

"How will we keep warm?"

"Curl up with Near. He's in no state to complain." L murmured while heading for a nearby tree.

"What are you doing?" Light was beginning to get nervous. He did not know much about the Nekomimi, but he knew enough to recognize when something was wrong. The man was back to short answers, and his ears flickered everywhere in alert paranoia.

"Go to sleep, Light-kun," L ordered before launching himself up the tree, "I will keep watch." Light frowned at the figure huddling in the tree ten feet above him. The colour was beginning to wash out of the area as twilight set in.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Luminescent orbs blinked down at him in the half-light.

"I will if I believe something will come of it." The Neko replied, deciding that there was no use in creating unnecessary worry. Light sighed quietly. He knew he could expect no more from the secretive Neko, but that hadn't stopped him from trying.

"Yeah, well, warn me when we're all about to be murdered," Light grumbled as he settled down for the night.

L watched the Princess for a few minutes, ears keeping watch more effectively than his eyes ever could. He did not really know what to make of the situation. He smirked; it almost as ridiculous as a Knight becoming a Baron. He was accustomed to accomplishing results on his own, and yet everything indicated that he was not going to be able to do that this time. It was… bothersome.

The Neko shifted his weight, shivering in the quickly chilling air. He stealthily crept to a higher vantage point and stopped with his back to the tree trunk. Dark eyes restlessly scanned the forest area, furry ears craning back and forth in an attempt to detect foreign sounds.

The human kingdoms were out of the question. Or, most of them were. They were getting caught up in that psycho little religion, and would probably start another crusade to purify the world of the non-human races.

Idiots.

Just what they needed with the entire demon race on the verge of swooping down on them any month now.

L sighed tiredly. He now had to try and convince the _other_ races to fix it. The Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Were Beasts… he'd even welcome the bloodthirsty Vampire race at this point, and their army of countless undead. The Neko blinked slowly for a moment. That might actually be worth pursuing… but only the eldest. Any younger than a century would cause more damage than good with their lack of self-control.

His head jerked suddenly to the right. The Neko breathed slowly inward, dark orbs scanning the underbrush. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. L crept his way down the tree, toes and fingertips shifting silently across the branches as he made his way toward the ground. He felt his stomach drop at the glint of metal in the underbrush. He wasn't imagining things then.

"Light-kun," The Neko hissed as he slid to the ground next to the brunette, eyes still fixed in the direction of the lurkers. He quickly prodded the sleeping Princess when he did not wake. No response. "_Light-kun,_" L growled a little more vehemently. His ears flicked back at the sound of a snapping twig. The quiet Nekomimi suppressed the panic that threatened to surface as he felt something cold and sharp rest against the back of the neck. He could easily get away, but he needed to determine how to get Near and Light out. He dug his fingers into Light's arm, silently willing the brunette to avoid any sudden movements. Long eyelashes fluttered for a moment before Light's eyes slid open.

"What do you want?" L deadpanned, trying to let the Princess know that they were not alone, so _please_ don't move. A scoff sounded behind him.

"Wha'd'you think?" It was a rhetorical question. Bandits? Slave traders? … Imperial patrol guards? L gave his wrist a light flick that detached the short dagger from its harness on his forearm. He let the blade slide down his sleeve to land directly next to Light's fingers. L knew he was in no position to pull off any miracles with a longsword aimed directly at his spinal column. The Neko slowly rose at the urging of his captor and turned to face the man. Definitely a brigand of some sort. His armor was rusted and fit poorly, clothes little more than mud stained rags.

_Do something, Light-kun…_ The Neko's eyes darted around as others began to reveal themselves. _Now…_

"Wha'd'you reckon we can get for 'em?" The man holding him at blade point gruffly asked of someone out of L's line of sight.

"Eh, probably nothin' fer th' cat. Th' other two'll w—"

L tensed as the man before him screamed in agonized anger, blood literally spraying from a newly inflicted leg wound in rhythmic spurts. An artery must have been severed. The Nekomimi pulled two Sai from their positions sheathed at his back and stabbed him through the throat. L kicked the bandit away and whirled to face the sound of swords sliding free of their sheaths.

Both sides paused. The bandits not quite believing one of them had been taken down so quickly, Light staring at L in wide-eyed silence as the slick fluid soaked his clothes and hair.

"Take Near." L murmured. Light gulped. The man looked animalistic, fallen into a defensive crouch nearly parallel to the ground, eyes glittering eerily in the dark above his two companions.

"… Are you sure?" Light clamped his mouth shut as the Neko gave him a look that would tolerate nothing short of _absolute_ obedience. The Princess nodded quickly in acceptance and scuttled to his feet with the young boy bundled in his arms. That seemed to be the last straw. Light choked back a scream as one of the bandits suddenly lunged for him, backing away as quickly as possible. L darted under the man's sword arm and raked through his abdomen, fresh gore showering the Neko as he spun out of the way of the tumbling body.

"_Go,_" L snarled, shifting his grip on the Sai as the Princess finally took off. _And don't get caught…_ L added silently. He could handle this. There were less than a dozen. But it would be impossible if he had to defend two invalids at the same time.

L threw himself into a side roll just as a broadsword buried itself in the ground where his back had been moments before. The Neko used the roll's momentum to launch his leg at the man's knee. A satisfying crunch sounded, followed by a howl of pain. L continued forward, twisting easily to avoid the slashes aimed for his body. He quickly hamstrung one man, and broke another's ankle. L quickly blocked a dagger thrust aimed for his face. He knew his was in trouble when he caught sight of a second bandit out of the corner of his eye.

The Neko kicked the dagger wielder in the groin and jerked the man forward to take the axe about to remove his head from his shoulders. L spat the salty liquid from his mouth and shoved the body away with a grimace.

No matter how often it happened, L would never get used to the drench of warm blood.

--

Light swore and stumbled to a halt beneath a flimsy alpine. His lungs and arms burned in exhaustion, mind working a mile a minute. Was it a good idea to leave Ryuuzaki back there? What if he had been followed? Is Near going to wake up?

…

That was the _least_ of his worries! He _left_ that _stupid_, mentally deranged _bastard_ back there to be _slaughtered!_ What the _hell?!_ What if he was killed? Injured? Captured and tortured slowly to death for no reason? Each scenario became more gruesome, horrifying and unbelievable by the second as Light's imagination supplied thousands of reasons for why he shouldn't be running right now. Light glanced down as Near groaned suddenly.

"Please…" Near mumbled. "Don't." The quiet voice knocked awareness into the furiously panicking brunette. "He will be fine… jus' wanted us out of th' way…"

"But what if—"

"Light," the Seer interrupted gently, because he did not have the strength to be forceful. "I would know if something happened." The Princess paused. That was true. The flood of relief allowed Light to notice just how fast his pulse had been racing. He flushed as the Seer gave him a knowing smirk before slowly closing his eyes once again.

"Alright," Light mumbled to himself. "Guess we should… keep walking then…? Or find a place to hide." Light hoisted the boy in his arms a little higher, carrying him much like he would an over-sized infant… or a bride, but that mental imagery creeped him out too much considering the boy was dressed completely in white. "Over here looks good…" The teen mumbled, knowing that the albino was in no position to listen, but feeling a little better breaking the oppressive silence. He walked over to a rocky outcropping several yards away and stooped to settle beneath it. Didn't want to hide too thoroughly, or Ryuuzaki would probably walk right by them. Besides, if the Neko was killing the bandits, there was nothing to worry about.

Light nodded decisively to himself. Right. No need to panic. He would simply wait for the man to find them, and then they could continue. Near would know if L was killed, or captured, so he could be patient.

--

Glossary:

Sai: long, dagger-like weapon, typically used as a pair for a complex, two-handed fighting style. If you've seen the movie Electra, those are what she uses. Think ninja daggers!

Author's Note: You should go to my profile and look at the video that Nardaviel found a while ago. No, it's not mine (obviously), but you look at it and tell me I'm crazy for seeing L with cat ears! I've had to watch that thing every five minutes in order to slap my muses into action for this chapter. xP And trust me, I know it shows.

And this is the part where I list all the useless things that have stopped me from updating properly. Obviously, I have writer's block, which results in this sort of crap (I swear, this is the eighth time I've rewritten this thing – it's driving me nutty). I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately that has me really not in the mood for funny (which is probably the biggest thing – it's so hard trying to write this with some horrible, fatalistic little voice of pessimism ranting in the back of my head). Work has been INSANE with all the people calling in sick lately: gotta love those bloody ten hour shifts! xP The only reason I'm managing this now is because they gave me a mini five-day holiday (which I literally slept through the first three days). AND we have renovations/painting to finish on the house before winter _really _sets in. DX We have two days of sun (according to Mr. Weatherman), so I get to spend my morning painting the roof. And putting up flashing. -_-

…And playing with power tools. =3 Mwahaha! XD Yeah… I wouldn't trust me either… D=


End file.
